Kolkata (West Bengal) [India], February 19 : West Bengal Minister Shashi Panja has said that BJP MLA Bishnu Prasad Sharma believes in development-based politics, citing it as the reason for his joining Trinamool Congress today.
She underscored Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee-led TMC's commitment to development in West Bengal.
"He said in clear terms that the party (BJP) he was associated with would say one thing and do another... While in the BJP, he kept raising this question that Gorkhas are being used as a vote bank, but if anyone truly worked on development, it was Mamata Banerjee. He believes in development-based politics and has joined TMC for the same," she said.
Sharma, who represents Kurseong Assembly constituency, joined the ruling All India Trinamool Congress (TMC) on Thursday, ahead of the West Bengal Assembly elections.
Sharma joined the party at Trinamool Bhavan in Kolkata in the presence of senior TMC leaders, in a setback for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the hill constituency.
Earlier, BJP MLA Shankar Ghosh said that Sharma joined the All India Trinamool Congress (AITC) because he felt disconnected from the party.
Speaking to ANI, Ghosh said, "There is no harm in it... He has his own thoughts, but didn't receive any response from anyone. So he started isolating himself from our party... I don't think it will have any impact."
West Bengal will face assembly polls in the first half of this year.