‘Where are your 25 MLAs?,’ TMC MP Banerjee asks BJP’s Suvendu Adhikari

Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Sudip Banerjee on Monday asked the leader of opposition in the West Bengal legislative assembly to focus on the missing 25 MLAs from his own party before thinking about introducing an anti-defection law.

He said the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is in power in Centre hence he can ask them to bring a new law since it is his own party. “Anti-defection law is not the subject of an individual. It has to pass through both the houses of the Parliament and then to the Assembly. If the opposition leader from the BJP wants to bring a new rule, he can ask the central government since they are in power,” Banerjee was quoted as saying by news agency ANI.

Earlier in the day, 50 MLAs of the BJP met West Bengal governor Jagdeep Dhankhar and submitted a memorandum over the incidents of violence following the West Bengal elections. “Being the constitutional head of the state, let me make it clear that anti-defection law is applicable in full force in Bengal. It is as much applicable here as in other parts of the country,” Dhankar said. He also said that there is an atmosphere of fear in the state.

Speculations arose after the Trinamool Congress (TMC) asked the BJP about the rest of the 24 MLAs who were not present at Adhikari’s meeting with the Bengal governor. Reports of other leaders who had left the TMC to join the BJP ahead of polls returning to TMC surfaced following Mukul Roy’s return to the TMC.

“Where are the 25 missing MLAs? Let him first talk about issuing anti-defection laws against them. Suvendu Adhikari needs to take care of his own MLAs now after which he can talk about others,” Sudip Banerjee further added.

“Todna-jodna is part of Trinamool Congress’ politics. They have been doing this for the past 10 years and it went unopposed, but it is being opposed now and action will be taken under the anti-defection law,” Suvendu said after his meeting with Dhankar.