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Smriti Irani to address Howrah rally in place of Amit Shah, more TMC leaders likely to join BJP
On Saturday, five TMC leaders - Rajib Banerjee, Vaishali Dalmiya, Prabir Ghosal, Rathin Chakraborty and Partha Sarathi Chatterjee - along with actor Rudranil Ghosh joined the BJP in New Delhi at the residence of Shah.
Union minister Smriti Irani will address a rally in West Bengal's Howrah on Sunday. She will be filling in for Union home minister Amit Shah whose visit to West Bengal was cancelled after a blast near the Israeli embassy in New Delhi on Friday.
Shah was scheduled to visit the state on January 30 and 31. However, it has been announced that he will address the rally at Dumurjula virtually.
Assembly elections are due in West Bengal in April-May this year and the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) has seen a number of leadrs leaving the party and joining Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
On Saturday, five TMC leaders - Rajib Banerjee, Vaishali Dalmiya, Prabir Ghosal, Rathin Chakraborty and Partha Sarathi Chatterjee - along with actor Rudranil Ghosh joined the BJP in New Delhi at the residence of Shah.
"After I resigned from the TMC, I received a call from the BJP leadership... Amit Shah ji told me to come over to Delhi. He also requested me to pass on the information to five other important public figures who wanted to serve people in a better way to accompany me," Banerjee said on Saturday.
The TMC, which has been facing dissent from a number of leaders ahead of the assembly election, said that those who are leaving do not have long political history.
"Those who left don't have a long political history and most of them were inducted into the party by (chief minister and party chief) Mamata Banerjee. In future, the TMC will be careful," said senior TMC MP and party spokesperson Sougata Ray.
The defections were on the expected lines, but what made the entire episode interesting was the fact that the BJP hired a chartered plane to ferry the rebel leaders and sent them back at night so that they can attend Sunday's rally.
Banerjee said that many more TMC leaders are expected to join BJP at Sunday's rally too. “Several district office-bearers of the TMC and some prominent actors will join us on Sunday. Wait and watch,” said Banerjee who is scheduled to deliver his first address as a BJP leader.
