Bharatiya Janata Party’s Barrackpore MP Arjun Singh on Sunday joined the Trinamool Congress.
“Extending a warm welcome to Arjun Singh, who rejected the divisive forces at BJP and joined the TMC family today,” said Trinamool Congress General Secretary Abhishek Banerjee.
He added, “People across the nation are suffering and they need us now more than ever. Let’s keep the fight alive.”
Singh was critical of the Centre’s policies for the jute industry. A large number of jute factories fall under his constituency.
“I am from the jute mill area and the people there have been suffering because of the Centre’s unjust policies,” Singh said, The Indian Express reported. “BJP is limited to Facebook and other social mediums. It is not possible to do politics only on Facebook. Working on the ground is important in Bengal and the BJP is losing out on that as their leaders are sitting in air-conditioned rooms.”
On May 19, the Union government withdrew its September 2021 notification about capping the price of raw jute to Rs 6,500 per quintal after opposition from the industry, The New Indian Express reported.
Singh said he appreciates the works done by the Mamata Banerjee-led party in West Bengal.
Singh had quit the Trinamool Congress in 2019 before the Lok Sabha elections after he was denied a ticket to contest, The Hindu reported.
He joined BJP and defeated Trinamool Congress candidate Dinesh Trivedi from the Barrackpore seat.
Before joining BJP, Singh was elected to the Assembly four times on a TMC ticket.
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