NCPI leader questions merger with rebel TMC MPs, says party leaders were not consulted
NEW DELHI, June 15: Less than a day after the otherwise obscure Nationalist Citizens Party of India (NCPI) shot to national prominence following the merger of 20 rebel TMC MPs with the organisation, it took to social media on Monday to claim it was the “largest parliamentary bloc from West Bengal”.
An address of the Tripura-based registered unrecognised party was located in the Sankrail area of Howrah district, with the property being owned by one Uttiya Kundu and his wife, Shewly, who, local residents said, had migrated to the area from Nadia district around eight years ago.
A significant contingent of central paramilitary forces was found deployed outside the property since Monday morning.
“With 20 Lok Sabha seats, NCPI emerges as the largest parliamentary force from West Bengal, shaping the state’s voice at the national level,” the party said in a social media post.
“The numbers speak for themselves. Leadership, representation, and the mandate of the people continue to define the future of West Bengal and India,” the post added.
A graphic representation of the division of MPs from West Bengal’s total Lok Sabha strength of 42 — with NCPI currently having 20 Seats, BJP 12 seats, TMC eight and Congress one — was posted to back that claim.
The party, in its social media posts, separately welcomed all 20 rebel TMC MPs with an accompanying message that their “long-term political experience, grassroots contacts and commitment to people would strengthen the party and make it prosperous”.
A graffiti of ‘Jago Biswa’ was seen prominently splashed across one of the walls of the building, which the party said was its registered address in the state. A wall graffiti stating ‘Unorganised Women Workers’ Association’ was also found displayed on one of its walls.
NCPI QUESTIONS MERGER
A day after 20 rebel TMC MPs announced their merger with the Nationalist Citizens Party of India (NCPI), a senior functionary of the outfit questioned the decision, claiming the party leadership had never been consulted on the move and that such a decision could not be taken unilaterally.
NCPI national secretary Shantanu Dey said the party president had not discussed any merger proposal with other office-bearers and suggested that the decision lacked organisational approval.
“The party president never spoke about the merger within the party. Such decisions cannot be taken by himself,” Dey told television channels, indicating possible differences within the organisation over the dramatic political development that has thrust the obscure party into the national spotlight.
Dey also said the NCPI’s political activities were largely confined to Tripura and that the party had never been an active force in West Bengal.“Although the party was registered in West Bengal in 2023, the state has never been among our principal areas of operation,” he said. (PTI)
