2 defector MLAs meet Mamata on ‘development work’

Kolkata: The MLAs from Bongaon (North) and Noapara, both of whom had defected to BJP in June 2019, met chief minister Mamata Banerjee for over 45 minutes in her chamber in the Bengal assembly on Monday.
Biswajit Das, the two-time Bongaon (North) MLA, touched the CM’s feet. He was accompanied by Sunil Singh, the Noapara MLA who is the brother-in-law of BJP’s Barrackpore MP Arjun Singh.
Stepping out of the CM’s chamber, Sunil Singh said: “We met the CM on development issues. This relates to the Rs 60 lakh MLA Local Area Development (LAD) funds. There were some issues.” According to Das, “Rs 96 lakh is pending. I have even given (work) for Rs 1.8 crore. The work is pending. Had come to talk to Didi on that.”
Asked specifically whether they intended to return to TMC, both chose not to comment.
Bengal BJP president Dilip Ghosh denied any political motive to the meeting, saying the MLAs had informed the party about it. “Nothing should be read into it. As MLAs, they can always meet the CM to discuss development issues in their constituencies,” he said.
Sources, however, said “development-related talks” on the last day of the assembly session appeared confusing. “Today was the last assembly session. Election Commission will announce poll dates soon. During the model code of conduct (MCC), no new work can be undertaken. The two MLAs know this better than others,” said a senior leader.
A little while after Das and Singh entered the CM’s chamber, she called in Trinamool’s North 24 Parganas president Jyotipriyo Mullick and Naihati MLA Partha Bhowmik. Later, Bengal urban development minister Firhad Hakim too joined the discussions.