Kolkata, Nov. 5 -- The induction of 10 Trinamool Congress (TMC) Panchayat members into the BJP triggered factional clashes in Baduria, North 24-Parganas, with a section of local BJP leaders opposing their entry into the party.
The 10 members, including the deputy pradhan of Bajitpur Gram Panchayat under Baduria Assembly Constituency, recently joined the BJP. The Panchayat has 16 members. They joined the saffron camp in the presence of Dipak Sarkar, former vice-president of the Basirhat organisational district BJP.
However, the induction programme was disrupted when BJP's local No. 5 mandal president Soumen Gain and his supporters arrived at the venue and objected to the entry of the former TMC members.
A heated exchange between the two groups soon escalated into a scuffle, creating tension in the area.
Gain and Basirhat organisational district BJP president Sukalyan Baidya alleged that Sarkar was actually associated with the TMC and had brought local anti-social elements into the BJP under the guise of party membership. Gain reportedly branded Sarkar a "TMC harmad".
The opposing faction, meanwhile, faced allegations of attacking the induction programme.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.