Former Trinamool Congress MLA Manirul Islam, who had joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) a few days ago, has offered to resign from the party following protests from a section in the BJP over his inclusion.
TMC MLA from Labpur in Birbhum district in West Bengal, Manirul Islam had joined the BJP on 29th May along with some other leaders of the party.
After BJP’s spectacular performance in the state in the Lok Sabha elections, several politicians have made a beeline to join the party, and 4 MLAs of other parties have switched loyalties so far; 2 from TMC, and one each from CPM and Congress.
But Manirul Islam’s inclusion in the BJP has triggered protests from party supporters due to his controversial past. Islam has a history of issuing threats of violence, and several criminal cases are lodged against him.
In 2013, he had threatened to behead his Congress rival in the Birbum district. He had openly encouraged his party workers to use violence against political opponents, and had claimed that he had crushed three persons under his feet. He was named in an FIR in 2010 in connection with the murder of three brothers, but his name was later dropped from the case and not included in the chargesheet.
BJP supporters from West Bengal had launched a massive protest against the inclusion of Islam on social media. BJP’s Birbhum district general secretary Kalosona Mondal had openly spoken against Islam joining the party.
“We all want our party to expand, and new people to come. But their background should be checked. If people against whose activities we have been fighting are taken in, then our struggles all through these years become meaningless,” Mondal said. He added that he will step down from the post, quit the party and will work for the RSS if his Manirul Islam is kept in the party.
After these reactions, the party had told its Bengal unit to go slow on inducting TMC leaders, according to reports. Former TMC leader Mukul Roy, who is spearheading the expansion of BJP in West Bengal, had been asked to be cautious and careful while bringing politicians to join BJP.
Following these developments, Manirul Islam too has realised that he has put the party in a difficult situation, and offered to quite the party. He has written a letter to Mukul Roy, saying that if the party was in an embarrassing position due to him, he is ready to quit.
Mukul Roy confirmed the development, saying that Manirul Islam has offered to resign if there is any controversy regarding him being in the party. He said that no decision on the matter has been taken yet.
He added that thousands of people are willing to BJP in the state, and policies and philosophies of the party, and sentiments and feelings of the workers will be kept in mind while accepting outsiders in the party.
