Arjun Singh’s 3 relatives join TMC, BJP MP says ‘they betrayed my party’

The Barrackpore MP’s brother-in-law and former MLA Sunil Singh was the BJP candidate from ward number 17 of Garulia municipality, while his son Aditya was the party’s nominee from ward number 12 of the same civic board.

Saurav, who is Arjun Singh’s nephew and former Bhatpara Municipality Corporation Chairman, was the BJP candidate from ward number 17 of Bhatpara municipality.

The three former BJP leaders withdrew their nominations for the civic polls on Saturday. They joined the TMC at its Titagarh party office in the presence of West Bengal Minister Jyotipriyo Mallick and TMC MLA Partha Bhowmik.

Slamming the BJP for its style of functioning, Saurav Singh said, “We are not happy with the way the BJP is functioning in Barrackpore (in North 24 Parganas district). The party is losing support here but the number of self-styled leaders is increasing in the party. Today, there are more leaders than party workers. We have decided not to be associated with a party like this.”

Meanwhile, Arjun Singh, who had quit the TMC and joined the BJP in 2019, called the three “traitors”. “They have betrayed our party. They have certainly got some good offers from the TMC. They had wanted the party to give them tickets and the party did so. But now they have backstabbed our party. I have failed as a brother and an uncle. I do not consider them my family members anymore,” he added.

Reacting to the development, TMC spokesperson Kunal Ghosh said, “There are a large number of BJP leaders and workers in North 24 Parganas and other districts who are sending out feelers of wanting to join our party. The TMC leadership is using its own discretion while inducting people from the BJP. But more from the saffron camp will come in the days to come.”

Meanwhile, around 200 members of Bharatiya Janata Yuva Manch – BJP’s youth wing members – joined the TMC in Kharagpur in Paschim Medinipur district on Saturday.