TMC started culture of poaching of leaders: BJP

Kolkata: West Bengal BJP president Dilip Ghosh on Friday asked Trinamul Congress not to cry foul if its leaders join the BJP, as the “culture of poaching on opposition leaders” has been started by the TMC in the state.

Mr Ghosh said this at a public meeting in presence of Mukul Roy who recently quit the TMC and joined the BJP.

“The TMC is saying the BJP is trying to poach on its leaders. I would like to say that time has come for the TMC to get the dose of its own medicine. It has no right to say anything on this issue as it is the TMC which has started this culture of poaching on opposition leaders,” he said.

In various municipalities and Zilla Praishads where the TMC had failed to win any seat, it poached on people’s representatives of opposition parties, Ghosh said.

He said the TMC had mastered the skills of poaching by using Mukul Roy, but now Roy would act as coach of Bengal BJP and TMC would be paid back in its own coin.

In his first public meeting after joining the BJP, Mr Roy said the people of Bengal would vote for a new change in days to come.

“It will begin with next year’s pancahayat polls, followed by 2019 Lok Sabha election and then we will witness the formation of a BJP government after 2021 Assembly elections,” he said.

While speaking at the rally, BJP national general secretary in charge of Bengal, Kailash Vijayvergiya said the people of Bengal are fed up with the “misrule” of TMC and are looking for a change.