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West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari on Tuesday met former Trinamool Congress MPs at Banga Bhawan in Delhi amid heightened political activity in the state.
Adhikari left Banga Bhawan after the meeting, while BJP leader Sukhendu Sekhar Roy, who was also present, described his visit as a "courtesy call". "It was a courtesy call; I only came to see him," Roy said. The meeting comes amid a major political churn in West Bengal, following the reported exit of 20 TMC Lok Sabha MPs and their merger with the Nationalist Citizens Party of India (NCPI) and extending support to the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA). The political manoeuvre, aimed at navigating provisions of the anti-defection law, has altered the political equations surrounding the TMC in Parliament. Recently, the developments have also triggered speculation over the unity of the NCPI, after three of its leaders -- Abu Taher Khan, Khalilur Rahman and Yusuf Pathan -- skipped the NDA Parliamentary Party's 'Mangal Milan' meeting last Tuesday. The NCPI has sought to dismiss speculation of a rift, while TMC leaders have claimed that the three MPs do not wish to join the BJP-led NDA. TMC MP Saugata Roy had earlier said that the three NCPI leaders did not want to align with the BJP and that discussions were underway. "I was told that they (NCPI leaders Abu Taher Khan, Khalilur Rahman, and Yusuf Pathan) do not wish to join the NDA; they do not want to align with the BJP, which is why they boycotted it... Discussions are underway; talks are happening. Nothing has been finalised yet," Roy had said. He had also said that when the 20 MPs left the TMC, it had not been decided that they would join the BJP, adding that it was becoming difficult for the three MPs to answer to their community. The 20 rebel TMC MPs had left the party following its defeat in the West Bengal Assembly polls and announced their association with the NCPI. The party subsequently said it would extend support to the NDA. (ANI)
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