Kolkata, Aug. 4 -- About a fortnight after 20 rebel Trinamool Congress MPs crossed over to the little-known Nationalist Citizens Party of India (NCPI), now, an NDA ally, the numbers at the ruling coalition's 'Mangal Milan' meeting have refused to add up.
For the second consecutive Tuesday, the saga continued with only 17 of the 20 rebel MPs showing up at the NDA meet, while Abu Tahir Khan, Khalilur Rahman and Yusuf Pathan stayed away once again. All three, however, later attended the meeting with Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari at Banga Bhawan in Delhi.
The absence from the NDA meet came as Abu Tahir Khan publicly declared that he would "neither remain with the NDA nor join the BJP", saying he could not "compromise on Muslim interests".
Adding to the intrigue, Trinamool leaders Saugata Roy and Kunal Ghosh claimed on Tuesday that some of the rebels had opened channels of communication with the party and were exploring a possible return, raising fresh questions over the stability of the breakaway TMC groups.
West Bengal Chief Minister and senior BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari added a fresh twist to the unfolding political drama by hosting the rebel MPs for an hour-long lunch at Banga Bhawan in New Delhi on Tuesday, a meeting widely seen as signalling growing proximity between the BJP and the breakaway group. A delicious meal was served to the MPs, featuring dishes such as Hilsa fish and prawns, alongside "Chhola Dal" (Bengal gram lentils).
According to sources, Union Environment minister Bhupender Yadav and BJP MP Nishikant Dubey - who apparently played pivotal roles in the Trinamool rebellion - were also present at the lunch.
After the meet with Suvendu, the attendee MPs, however, claimed that discussions centred on development projects for their respective constituencies. Addressing reporters after the meeting, NCPI MP Satabdi Roy dismissed the speculations that NCPI MPs would formally join the BJP.
"We spoke only about the development of our constituencies. The Chief Minister asked us to submit proposals. We will meet him again at Nabanna and place our proposals," Roy said. After the meeting, Adhikari left Banga Bhawan. BJP's Rajya Sabha MP Sukhendu Sekhar Roy, who was also present, described the visit as a "courtesy call". Two other BJP Rajya Sabha MPs, Susmita Deb and Prakashchik Barik, who had resigned from TMC before joining BJP, also took part in the meeting. Sources said actor-turned-politician Dev skipped the meeting because of a pre-scheduled film shoot.
The meeting came hours after the NDA parliamentary meeting at the Parliament Library building, where NCPI parliamentary party leader Sudip Bandopadhyay asserted that "everyone in NCPI is united".
Bandopadhyay, the leader of the 20 MPs, had separately met the Prime Minister on Monday amid speculation that they might join the BJP. Meanwhile, the Mamata Banerjee camp sharpened its attack on the rebels, accusing them of betraying the mandate they had secured on the Trinamool Congress symbol and anti-BJP votes. The leaders alleged that the MPs, elected on the back of the party's support, were now working to further the BJP's political interests.
"The BJP is protecting them. Otherwise, they would have lost their Lok Sabha membership because they won the polls on TMC tickets," said TMC leader Kunal Ghosh. The Beliaghata MLA also claimed at least 30 of the 60 TMC legislators who joined the rebel Ritabrata Banerjee-led faction were in touch with Mamata Banerjee and other leaders in their group.
Ritabrata Banerjee, however, dismissed Ghosh's claim, saying: "They should be more concerned about the rest of the MPs who are ready to leave them."
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.