MLA from Cooch Behar Dakshin, Mihir Goswami, who defected from the TMC to the BJP camp very recently, has criticised a section of Trinamul Congress activists, who had expressed anger on his joining the saffron camp, and on several issues, including the ‘outsider’ tag that the TMC has given BJP leaders.

“I made it clear that I do not have any animosity towards any of my old teammates. If there is really no effect of grassroots abandonment in the party, then what is the reason for their anger? If you have to fight, it should be completely political,” Mr Goswami said today.

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Notably, TMC chief Mamata Banerjee has branded national-level BJP leaders as ‘outsiders’, who have come from different states to look after the party’s organisation and preparations for next year’s Assembly elections.

According to party sources, the TMC faced a setback after state transport minister Suvendu Adhikari stepped down from the Mamata Banerjee Cabinet and Mr Goswami joined the BJP in Delhi. With them, a group of MLAs, who were elected on TMC tickets, also plan to join the BJP before the Assembly polls, sources have said.

Significantly, though TMC leader and MP Sougata Roy made arrangements for a meeting with Mr Adhikari, where Abhishek Banerjee and even Prashant Kishore were present last evening, the outcome of the meeting was “zero,” as the rebel TMC leader, who was elected MLA from Nandigram, today expressed unhappiness over it and said it was impossible for him to work together.

“The grassroots leadership has suddenly started calling BJP leaders outsiders, which is a bit surprising. In a federal structure, can foreign people be called outsiders? Will Bengal continue without ‘foreign” bureaucrats? Will Bengal be able to move forward without traders or investors from other states? The chief guest of the Bengal Summit could be Mukesh Ambani or Shah Rukh Khan, the brand ambassador of Bengal, but how come political leaders of other states are outsiders?” Mr Gowsami said.

“Didn’t we protest strongly when Bengalis were called outsiders in foreign countries? Didn’t we shout against provincialism? Isn’t the PK team around? The political consulting contractor is surrounded by so much controversy,” he added.