A BJP MP has claimed that his party played a role in the formation of the Trinamool Congress (TMC) government in West Bengal. Nishikant Dubey made the claim in a speech in the Lok Sabha on Tuesday, during the debate on the motion of no confidence against the Narendra Modi government.
Dubey said that the BJP had supported the TMC during the Singur movement, when farmers protested against the acquisition of their land for a car factory by the Tata Group. He also said that then-BJP leader Rajnath Singh had gone to meet TMC leader Mamata Banerjee during her hunger strike in Singur.
Dubey's claims have been denied by the TMC. A party spokesperson said that the TMC won the 2011 West Bengal assembly elections on its own strength, and that the BJP had no role in its victory.
The BJP's claim is significant because it comes at a time when the TMC is facing increasing challenges from the BJP in West Bengal. The BJP won 18 seats in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections in West Bengal, up from just two seats in 2014. The party is also making inroads into the TMC's strongholds in the state.
The BJP's claim about its role in the formation of the TMC government is likely to be met with skepticism by many people. However, it is possible that the BJP did play a role in the TMC's victory in 2011, albeit indirectly. The Singur movement was a major factor in the TMC's victory, and the BJP's support for the movement may have helped to swing some votes in the TMC's favor.
It is also possible that the BJP is simply trying to claim credit for the TMC's victory in 2011, in order to boost its own chances of winning the next assembly elections in West Bengal. Whatever the case may be, the BJP's claim is likely to add to the political heat in West Bengal in the coming months.
