Babul Supriyo joins TMC, quits BJP months after being dropped from Modi cabinet

Former Union Minister and BJP leader Babul Supriyo today quit the BJP and joined the ruling Trinamool Congress in West Bengal. He was given TMC membership by Mamata Banerjee’s nephew and National General Secretary of TMC Abhishek Banerjee and Rajya Sabha MP Derek O’Brien.

“Today, in the presence of National General Secretary Abhishek Banerjee and RS MP Derek O’Brien, former Union Minister and sitting MP Babul Supriyo joined the Trinamool family. We take this opportunity to extend a very warm welcome to him!” informed the All India Trinamool Congress on Twitter.

Reacting to Supriyo joining the TMC, Derek O’Brien said, “Khela Hobe”. Khela Hobe or game on is TMC’s popular election slogan.

“Many BJP leaders are in communication with TMC leadership. They are not satisfied with BJP. One joined today, another wants to join tomorrow. This process will go on. Wait and watch,” said Kunal Ghosh of TMC.

It may be noted that Supriyo was upset with the BJP after he was asked to resign from the union cabinet in July this year just before PM Modi reshuffled his council of ministers. Supriyo had earlier said that he won’t leave the BJP and had joined politics to serve people.

Notably, last week, BJP had fielded Babul Supriyo’s close aide Priyanka Tibrewal from Bhabanipur against Mamata Banerjee. Reacting to Tibrewal’s candidature, Supriyo had said that he has always introduced bright youngsters to the party and have strongly backed them. “Very confident they wil make BJP proud in the years to come,” Asansol MP had said.

It may be recalled that since the Bengal election results in May this year, 4 TMC turncoats who had won election on the BJP ticket had returned to the TMC reducing the saffron party’s tally in Bengal assembly to 71.