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Shah welcomes TMC rebels in Delhi; Bengal politics enters 'chartered plane era'
Never before in Bengal was a chartered plane hired by a party to carry defectors, political observers said.
Less than 24 hours after cancelling his two-day trip to Bengal because of the IED blast outside the Israeli embassy in Delhi, Union home minister Amit Shah on Saturday evening welcomed former Trinamool Congress (TMC) minister Rajib Banerjee and a group of rebels into the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) at his Delhi residence.
Those who joined the BJP alongside Banerjee are Vaishali Dalmiya, MLA from Bally in Howrah who was expelled by the TMC recently; Prabir Ghosal, MLA from Uttarpara in Hooghly district; Rathin Chakraborty, former mayor of Howrah town; Partha Sarathi Chatterjee, former MLA from Ranaghat in Nadia district and actor Rudranil Ghosh, who recently started speaking against the TMC. Banerjee, who was Bengal’s forest minister, resigned from the Domjur assembly seat in Howrah on Friday.
Instead of offering them the BJP flag, Shah welcomed the TMC leaders with the party’s saffron scarves.
Tweeting his photograph with the TMC leaders, Shah wrote, "Former TMC leaders Mr. Rajib Banerjee, Ms. Baishali Dalmiya, Mr. Prabir Ghoshal, Mr. Rathin Chakraborti and Mr. Rudranil Ghosh joined BJP today in New Delhi. I am sure their induction will further strengthen BJP’s fight for Sonar Bangla."
Amar Sonar Bangla, or my golden Bengal, was a song Rabindranath Tagore composed in 1905 during the partition of the Bengal province by Lord Curzon.
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While the exodus was expected, the high point of the day was the chartered flight that Shah arranged to ferry the rebel TMC leaders to the capital and send them back at night so that they can attend the rally that he was supposed to physically address in Howrah on Sunday afternoon. It was announced that Shah will virtually address the rally.
Never before in Bengal was a chartered plane hired by a party to carry defectors, political observers said. The incident left its mark, with Banerjee and his co-passengers repeating before the media how they felt “extremely honoured” by Shah’s gesture. The small plane took off from Kolkata airport at 4.10 pm. The flight became a topic of discussion on social media in Bengal, with images of the rebels posing in front of the plane getting shared by the thousands with comments.
Only Ghosh, the actor, missed the special ride but he managed to reach Delhi on a commercial flight.
“It is a day of great honour for us. The home minister called us here as he had to postpone his trip. He took the initiative and sent a chartered plane. Bengal has suffered for years by fighting with the Centre. The state cannot have all-round development without the Centre’s help and participation. I told the home minister that Bengal should be offered a special package if we win the polls. He assured me that Bengal is his priority,” Banerjee said while leaving Shah’s home.
The cover photo of Banerjee’s Facebook page was changed by 9 pm, with a message from the Bengal chief minister replaced by a shade of saffron and a new slogan, “with the people.”
The BJP announced that since Shah cannot leave Delhi, Union minister Smriti Irani will address the rally in Howrah on Sunday where many people are supposed to join the BJP.
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“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.
“This is BJP. Since Amit Shah Ji could not visit Bengal and induct us he sent a chartered flight for us. I want to contest from Bally and work for the people,” said Dalmiya.
A businesswoman and daughter of former BCCI president Jagmohan Dalmiya, she joined politics in 2016. So did Ghosal, a senior journalist. Ghosh, a known face on screen, used to be a CPI(M) supporter during the Left era and switched over to the TMC after Mamata Banerjee came to power.
Political analyst and columnist Suvashis Maitra said the chartered plane marked the beginning of a new era in state politics.
“Bengal was always known as a state where exorbitant expenditure in electoral politics never made news even when the trend of keeping defectors in exotic resorts before floor tests had become a regular feature in several states. The plane changed that,” said Maitra.
BJP national general secretary Kailash Vijayvargiya and national vice-president Mukul Roy accompanied the rebels to Delhi.
Senior TMC leader and panchayat minister Subrata Mukherjee said, “It is not a matter of honour if someone leaves the TMC for no definite ideology. Our party is huge. We do not stop anyone from leaving.”
