Two Congress MLAs are likely to soon join Trinamul Congress and may be inducted in Mamata Banerjee ministry in a Cabinet reshuffle scheduled next week, setting the stage for fresh confrontation between the two former allies.
“Two MLAs Humayan Kabir and Krishnendu Chowdhury are expected to join TMC on November 20,” Trinamul Congress all-India general secretary Mukul Roy said.
Reacting sharply to the development, WBPCC chief Pradip Bhattacharya said “This has made it clear that the sole agenda of Trinamul Congress is to break up the Congress in Bengal.
“But take it from me, the Congress will prove its organisational strength in Murshidabad by winning the Rejinagar seat,” Mr Bhattacharya said. Mukul Roy, refused to comment on Mr Bhattacherjee’s charge, saying “I wont’ say anything now. We will state whatever we have to say at an appropriate time.”
In an apparent jolt before 2013’s panchayat election, Mr Kabir, the Congress MLA from Rejinagar said he was assured a ministerial berth by the chief minister in a Cabinet reshuffle expected to be held on November 21. “During a meeting with Mamatadi she told me to inform her of my decision by Novem-ber 16. She has assured me of a berth in the Cabinet reshuffle,” Mr Kabir, the Murshidabad district Congress secretary, said. “I will formally join TMC on November 20 after quitting all posts in the Congress,” Kabir told PTI over phone from his Rejinagar home. He said he would resign as Congress MLA and contest a fresh election on TMC ticket from Rejina-gar. The Trinamul parted ways with Congress-led UPA government in September.