Kolkata: BJP Barrackpore MP Arjun Singh on Sunday fired a fresh salvo at the top leadership of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and claimed that he is not "not being allowed to work" despite being the MP and state vice president.
Singh, who is scheduled to meet the party’s national president JP Nadda soon, slammed that saffron camp and said, "TMC cannot be ousted by posting in social media."
“It is like I have been given a fountain pen without ink and paper. Till today I am the state vice president. I don't know whether I will be kept in the post tomorrow but whatever experienced people say is getting ignored in the party. Those who are inexperienced call the shots. One needs to visit the grassroots,” said Singh.
Taking further jibe at the saffron camp, the BJP MP said that he had predicted that BJP will lose the Asansol Lok Sabha bypoll by over three lakh votes.
“BJP failed to give an agent in over 900 booths and I have said that BJP will lose by over three lakh votes. Even if the election is done through central agencies if there is no booth agent then there will be vote loot,” further claimed Singh.
Singh who had defected to BJP from TMC ahead of 2019 Lok Sabha election also alleged that BJP ‘doesn’t’ give importance to those who had defected from Trinamool Congress.
BJP MLA Agnimitra Paul, who was the Asansol Lok Sabha candidate, said that Singh had earlier told her about the BJP’s loss in the seat.
“Due to lack of booth agents, he (Singh) had told me that BJP won’t win in the bypoll but I don’t think he is not given importance in the party. He is a senior leader and after every party meeting his comments are asked,” said Agnimitra.
It can be recalled that after being vocal against the Union Textile Minister Piyush Goyal, Singh held two meetings with the latter in the national capital over the ‘dying’ state of the jute industry in the state.
Speculation soon made it to the headlines that Singh might defect back to TMC as he had threatened to agitate if the Union government doesn’t take up the jute issue seriously. Singh had also written a letter to Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee over the ‘crisis’ in the jute industry in the state.
