BJP Darjeeling MP Raju Bista said, “Ashok Bhattacharya is a former minister, MLA and mayor of Siliguri. I came here to extend my Diwali greetings to him. It was also the death anniversary of his wife. Therefore, I wanted to meet him at his residence.”
The meeting between senior CPI(M) politician and former Siliguri Mayor Ashok Bhattacharya and BJP MP Raju Bista and party MLA Shankar Ghosh on Monday at the latter’s home sparked rumours that the saffron camp was planning to enlist the Left leader ahead of the impending panchayat elections next year. The BJP and left-wing leaders both called it a “courtesy visit,” but the Trinamool Congress, which is currently in power, sees it as a plot to “destabilise” the Mamata Banerjee administration by December.
“If an MP pays a visit on the occasion of Diwali, then I cannot shut the door on his face. It was also the death anniversary of my wife and everyone was invited. The speculations that are doing rounds are baseless and unjust.”
BJP Darjeeling MP Raju Bista said, “Ashok Bhattacharya is a former minister, MLA and mayor of Siliguri. I came here to extend my Diwali greetings to him. It was also the death anniversary of his wife. Therefore, I wanted to meet him at his residence.”
“Our party MP Raju Bista wanted to meet the Left leader to inquire about his health. So, yesterday (Monday) was an auspicious occasion, therefore, I went with him. It is wrong to draw a conclusion based on this. It is also not right to consider it a political meeting,” said Ghosh.
The TMC asserted that the CPI(M) and the BJP had “a tacit understanding.”The party’s mouthpiece, “Jago Bangla,” even published an editorial on Tuesday alleging that the BJP wants Bhattacharya’s assistance to topple the Mamata Banerjee administration by December.
There is a conspiracy going on to destabilise the government, especially in the northern part of the state. We may note that BJP leaders have been demanding a separate state for the people in north Bengal.”
“We have information that the BJP wants to destabilise the northern part of Bengal and plan to make it a Union Territory with some parts of Bihar. We have said this before and are saying it now that the Left and the BJP are trying to destabilise the state government. They will, of course, say that it was a courtesy visit but we know what is happening. They are seeking Bhattacharya’s support to execute their plans,” alleged Ghosh.