'Got Offer To Join BJP, I Rejected It': Trinamool MP's Claim Amid Crisis

Trinamool MP Saugata Roy has claimed that the BJP had offered him a switchover, but he rejected it. Speaking to news agency ANI, the veteran politician asserted that he will stay with Mamata Banerjee. "Yes, I got an offer to join (the BJP). But I rejected it. I will stay in the party on whose symbol I won the election," he added.

Roy's remarks came after a senior Rajya Sabha MP quit the party after making bombshell corruption allegations. Sukhendu Sekhar Ray has also resigned as an MP and visited a BJP leader's home, sparking speculations that he may soon join the saffron fold.

Saugata Roy brushed aside any concern over Ray's exit. "This is not important. The MP of Rajya Sabha who has never won in an election...what is the value of his opinion?" he asked.

Read: Trinamool Rajya Sabha MP Sukhendu Sekhar Ray Quits Amid Spiralling Crisis

Speaking about the other disgruntled lawmakers, however, he had a deeper analysis to offer. Pointing out that his party had lost power, he said that not everyone in politics has the strength to accept defeat.

"Such people change position when the situation turns bad. This is what has happened," he added.

Sukhendu Ray's exit adds to the buzz that several Trinamool MPs could cross over to the BJP, while 60 out of its 80-odd MLAs have already backed a rebel faction led by MLA Ritabrata Banerjee.

Asked if the party is concerned that the rebel side can come after its election symbol, Roy said symbols cannot be claimed like this. "The symbol is given by the Election Commission. They don't change the symbol according to the MLA. That situation has not come yet," he stressed.

These leaders who had revolted against the leadership of Mamata Banerjee's nephew Abhishek Banerjee had fallen into greed, Roy added, stating that the BJP had lured them away with promises. But they cannot win an assembly seat on their own, he added.

Read: Mamata Banerjee Attends INDIA Meet Amid A Parallel Trinamool MPs' Huddle

Roy remained confident that the Trinamool will be able to make a comeback. He said, "If Mamata Banerjee gets down on the road, it will happen."

Asked about the opposition meeting being attended by Banerjee in the capital, he said that Trinamool stands to benefit if more opposition parties join hands.

"If more anti-BJP parties come together, the opposition will be more powerful and there will be more pressure on BJP. The Trinamool is being targeted and attacked a lot. If other parties support us, it will give us power," he said.