Bengal polls: Netaji’s grandnephew Chandra Bose joins TMC, targets BJP’s ‘divisive politics’

Days before West Bengal heads into assembly elections, Chandra Bose, grandnephew of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, on Sunday switched to the Trinamool Congress (TMC), accusing the BJP of straying from the ideals of the freedom fighter, PTI reported.The former BJP leader was inducted into the ruling party in the presence of state minister Bratya Basu and TMC MP Kirti Azad. “It is not possible to follow Netaji’s ideals while being in the BJP,” Chandra Bose said, alleging that the party promotes “divisive politics”.“Today, we are seeing that the BJP indulges in divisive politics and spreads communal hatred. We must now fight to save India and resist divisive politics,” he said after joining the TMC.Bose had been associated with the BJP since 2016 and had contested the assembly elections that year from Bhabanipur against chief minister Mamata Banerjee but lost.He again entered the fray in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections from Kolkata Dakshin, where he was defeated.Over time, his differences with the BJP leadership grew, culminating in his resignation from the party in September 2023.In recent months, Bose had publicly expressed support for Banerjee’s positions on various issues.On March 27, he described his decision to join the BJP as a “historic blunder” in a social media post, stating, “If the objective of any party is to create division among voters to win elections, I cannot accept that.”West Bengal will vote for its 294-member assembly in two phases on April 23 and April 29, with counting scheduled for May 4.