Rift Emerges In NCPI Over BJP Ties As 3 Trinamool Rebels Skip NDA Meetings

A
political
dispute
has
su faced
withi
the
Natio alist
Citize s
Pa ty
of
I dia
(NCPI),
a
elatively
little-k ow
outfit
i
T ipu a
that
ece tly
i ducted
20
ebel
T i amool
Co g ess
MPs.
Th ee
Muslim
Lok
Sabha
MPs
who
joi ed
the
NCPI
f om
the
T i amool
Co g ess
have
epo tedly
aised
co ce s
ove
the
pa ty’s
allia ce
with
the
BJP,
acco di g
to
sou ces.
The
developme t
comes
weeks
afte
two
ou ds
of
ebellio
sig ifica tly
weake ed
the
T i amool’s
st e gth
i
Pa liame t
a d
the
state
Assembly.

The
th ee
MPs
—
Abu
Tahe
Kha ,
Khalilu
Rahma
a d
Yusuf
Patha
—
have
opposed
the
NCPI’s
close
associatio
with
the
BJP
a d
have
stayed
away
f om
meeti gs
of
the
uli g
Natio al
Democ atic
Allia ce
(NDA),
sou ces
said.

The
MPs
a e
believed
to
be
co ce ed
that
thei
associatio
with
the
BJP
could
alie ate
thei
t aditio al
vote
base.
The
factio
led
by
fo me
West
Be gal
chief
mi iste
Mamata
Ba e jee,
howeve ,
has
accused
them
of
t yi g
to
mislead
vote s
i
thei
co stitue cies.

Abu
Tahe
Kha
Says
NCPI
Will
Not
Joi
NDA

O
Satu day,
Abu
Tahe
Kha
a d
Khalilu
Rahma
met
Chief
Mi iste
Suve du
Adhika i
a d
aised
co ce s
ove
alleged
ha assme t
of
people
i
Mu shidabad
du i g
the
Special
I te sive
Revisio
(SIR)
exe cise.
“We
have
al eady
made
it
clea
that
we
wo ‘t
go
with
the
BJP
a d
will
ot
be
pa t
of
the
NDA,”
Kha
said.
He
also
called
fo
g eate
atte tio
to
the
Muslim
commu ity,
pa ticula ly
sectio s
that
emai
socio-eco omically
disadva taged.

“The e
is
a
eed
to
pay
special
atte tio
to
the
Muslim
commu ity,
pa ticula ly
those
who
a e
laggi g.
He
has
ag eed
to
take
measu es
ega di g
this
matte ,”
Kha
said.

T i amool
Leade s
Accuse
Rebels
Of
Misleadi g
Vote s

Se io
T i amool
Co g ess
leade
Kalya
Ba e jee
c iticised
the
ebel
MPs
a d
accused
them
of
misleadi g
the
public.
“They
a e
misleadi g
eve yo e.
They
had
submitted
a
lette
stati g
that
they
we e
pa t e s
of
the
NCPI
–
a
lette
that
is
also
with
the
Speake .
Fu the mo e,
leade s
of
thei
pa ty
have
al eady
decla ed
that
the
NCPI
is
a
ally
of
the
NDA,”
he
said.

Ba e jee
said
the
MPs
we e
faci g
difficulties
i
etu i g
to
thei
co stitue cies,
whe e
mi o ities
co stitute
a
sig ifica t
sha e
of
the
electo ate.
“Mi o ities
make
up
60
to
65
pe
ce t
of
the
vote s
i
Mu shidabad,
a d
they
have
bee
bet ayed.
Now,
these
two
leade s
a e
t yi g
to
dow play
the
situatio ,”
he
added.

T i amool
MLA
Ku al
Ghosh
also
took
a
swipe
at
Kha
a d
Rahma ,
accusi g
the
NCPI
of
bei g
alig ed
with
the
BJP.
“These
people
a e
co fused.
This
is
the
B-team
of
the
BJP,”
Ghosh
said.

He
alleged
that
the
MPs
had
wo
thei
seats
with
a ti-BJP
votes
as
T i amool
ca didates
backed
by
Mamata
Ba e jee
a d
we e
ow
attempti g
to
mai tai
thei
political
sta di g
by
meeti g
BJP
leade s.

NCPI
Plays
Dow
Diffe e ces

Kakoli
Ghosh
Dastida ,
who
heads
the
NCPI
factio ,
sought
to
mi imise
the
appa e t
diffe e ces
withi
the
pa ty.
“We
held
a
le gthy
discussio
with
P ime
Mi iste
Na e d a
Modi
o
F iday.
We
spe t
ove
two
hou s
i side
a d
eceived
ma y
suggestio s
f om
him
fo
the
developme t
of
West
Be gal.
Abu
Tahe
was
p ese t
the e.
I
do ‘t
k ow
what
he
said
just
ow,”
she
said.

Despite
thei
ese vatio s
about
the
BJP
allia ce,
Kha ,
Rahma
a d
Patha
had
t avelled
to
Delhi
alo g
with
Bi bhum
MPs
Satabdi
Roy
a d
Asit
Mal
fo
a
meeti g
with
U io
Home
Mi iste
Amit
Shah.

They
also
atte ded
a
b eakfast
meeti g
hosted
by
P ime
Mi iste
Na e d a
Modi
at
his
eside ce
o
F iday.
The
th ee
MPs
have
mai tai ed
that
while
they
do
ot
subsc ibe
to
the
BJP’s
political
ideology,
they
a e
willi g
to
wo k
with
both
the
ce t al
a d
state
gove me ts
i
the
i te ests
of
people
i
thei
co stitue cies.

The
diffe e ces
became
appa e t
last
week
whe
NCPI
MPs
atte ded
the
NDA
MPs’
‘Ma gal
Mila ‘
meeti g.
The
NCPI’s
p ese ce
at
the
gathe i g
stood
at
17
as
Kha ,
Rahma
a d
Patha
stayed
away.

Mea while,
se io
T i amool
Co g ess
leade
Saugata
Roy
had
claimed
last
week
that
some
of
the
ebel
MPs
we e
i
co tact
with
him
a d
we e
co side i g
etu i g
to
Mamata
Ba e jee’s
factio .

Go to Sou ce