38 TMC MLAs in touch with BJP, claims Mithun Chakraborty

Kolkata, July 27

Actor-turned-politician Mithun Chakraborty, who had joined the BJP ahead of the West Bengal Assembly elections last year, on Wednesday claimed that 38 TMC MLAs are in touch with the saffron camp.

Calling it “breaking news”, the former TMC leader claimed, “At least 38 TMC MLAs are in touch with the BJP. Out of them, 21 are personally in touch with me.”

Meanwhile, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday slammed the Centre, saying it was “not easy to break Bengal” with the help of investigation agencies.

The TMC said the actor was “trying to fool the people by making false claims”. Mamata said the ruling party at the Centre aimed to topple democratically elected state governments.

"They (BJP) have no work, their job is to take over the state governments through 3-4 agencies. They've taken Maharashtra, but Bengal has defeated them. It's not easy to break up Bengal as you have to fight the Royal Bengal Tiger first,” she said.

The West Bengal CM claimed the BJP would not return to power after the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. “I believe that BJP will not come in 2024 (to power). Unemployment in India is increasing by 40 per cent but it has decreased by 45 per cent in Bengal," she said. Bengal Industries Minister Partha Chatterjee was arrested on Saturday on money-laundering charges linked to the SSC (School Service Commission) scam. He was accused of being involved in illegal appointments of schoolteachers and staff in government-run schools when he was the state Education Minister. Chatterjee's close associate Arpita Mukherjee was also arrested as part of the ED’s investigation into the scam.

Mithun was among the BJP's star campaigners in the 2021 Assembly elections in West Bengal. — ANI

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