Arjun Singh set to 'return' to BJP, fires Sandeshkhali salvo at TMC candidate in Barrackpore

Kolkata: Disgruntled Trinamool Congress leader Arjun Singh on Thursday backed up his announcement of 'ghar wapsi' to the BJP with a sensational claim that Sandeshkhali's alleged kingpin Shajahan Sheikh owned large tracts of land and other properties in Naihati under active patronage of local TMC MLA Partha Bhowmik.

Besides being the sitting legislator from Naihati, which falls under the Barrackpore Lok Sabha constituency and is part of North 24 Parganas district housing Sandeshkhali, Bhowmik is also the state irrigation minister and the chosen Trinamool candidate Singh intends to take on at Barrackpore armed with a BJP ticket.

Singh also claimed that "at least one top TMC leader" would be joining the saffron party along with him. Refusing to divulge any further details, Singh confirmed that he would be travelling to Delhi on Thursday evening itself and join the BJP at its central headquarters on Friday.

Referring to Bhowmik's visit to Sandeshkhali in the aftermath of protests by villagers in February, Singh told reporters at his Barrackpore residence, "Why did the TMC top brass send Partha Bhowmik, instead of the local MLA, to Sandeshkhali to defend Shajahan and his cohorts? That's because he had close contacts with Sheikh and needed to secure the evidence connecting him to Sheikh in the wake of the ED raid." "Not just Sheikh, but his associates Shiba Prasad Hazra and Uttam Sardar have also bought bighas after bighas of plots and other properties in Naihati," Singh claimed.

Calling Bhowmik the "king of Naihati in the absence of party leader Jyotipriya Mallik who is now in jail", Singh said, "Nothing happens in that area without the knowledge of Bhowmik. There must be proper investigation into his possible involvement in patronising the villains of Sandeshkhali." Rubbishing Singh's claims and denying knowledge of the alleged land purchase, Bhowmik told PTI, "How can I possibly know who all are buying plots in my legislative constituency? The records are available at the land records and registry offices. Anyone can visit these offices and check for themselves whether what Singh is alleging is true." Bhowmik also refuted Singh's claims of his Sandeshkhali visit, stating he went there to address certain complaints with regard to irrigation facilities which the local peasants had.

"I was accompanied by local MLA Sukumar Mahata, and everyone, including the protesting villagers, knows why I went there. I spent my time with the protesters there and there's nothing to hide," he said.

"Levelling such wild allegations is characteristic of Arjun Singh," Bhowmik said, adding, "He would have jumped the ship to the BJP ahead of the 2026 assembly polls even if the party had given him a ticket for the Lok Sabha elections. Why should our leadership take that chance?" Speaking to reporters on Wednesday, Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee had justified the party's decision to drop him from the party's list by stating that Singh was still an MP of the BJP who hadn't forfeited his post till date.

"It's his prerogative to choose which party's ticket he wants to fight with. Our candidate is Partha Bhowmik and I hope he will get the full support of our people," she had said.

Stating that he was on the TMC Brigade rally podium on Sunday when the candidate list was announced, Singh said, "If I was a BJP MP, why was I invited to sit on that podium?" Singh has been voicing his disgruntlement with Mamata Banerjee and her party ever since accusing the party of "betraying him" by dumping his nomination.

"When I rejoined the Trinamool Congress in 2022, I was promised that I would be re-nominated as the party MP candidate from Barrackpore. But the party betrayed me by going back on its promise," he said.

Singh, a former TMC leader, had quit his party exactly five years ago and joined the BJP on the eve of the 2019 Lok Sabha polls. Following his win from Barrackpore on a BJP ticket, Singh jumped back to the TMC in May 2022 but held on to his MP status.