Kolkata, February 21 Senior CPI(M) leader Pratikur Rahman, who resigned from the party on February 16, joined West Bengal's ruling Trinamool Congress on Saturday, prompting the Marxist organization to expel him.
He joined the TMC in the presence of Diamond Harbour MP Abhishek Banerjee, against whom he had contested in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
Rahman told reporters at Banerjee's Amtala office that he felt stifled within the Marxist party.
"I only want to fight against the fascism of the BJP, and I believe that only the TMC has the ability to face the challenge posed by Hindutva forces who want to divide people," said Rahman, who was a state committee member of the CPI(M).
Welcoming Rahman into the party, Banerjee said that Rahman wanted to join TMC to work for the poor and for the organization, and that there had been no agreement between him and the Trinamool for getting a nomination in the assembly elections.
"I have known Protikur for a long time; he even contested against me in 2024. But he is among those young leaders in the Marxist party who are dynamic, principled, and have the will to fight against the real danger facing the country. Our fight is against the BJP," he said.
Wondering why the CPI(M)-led Left Front in Kerala is not fighting against the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, Banerjee said that only the TMC, led by Mamata Banerjee, has been effectively opposing the "hasty implementation" of SIR and "able to take up the issue with the Supreme Court and force the Election Commission to follow its directives."
"The CPI(M) can only be seen on social media. May I ask which ideology allowed the CPI(M) state secretary (Md Salim) to meet Humayun Kabir, while they proclaim that they are not doing religion-based politics?" he said.
Banerjee, considered number two in the TMC hierarchy, affirmed that he would provide opportunities to the young generation who are principled and hardworking.
He named young leaders such as Rwitobroto Mukherjee, who was earlier in the CPI(M), Sayaani Ghosh, now an MP, and Debangshu Bhattacharya who unsuccessfully contested the Lok Sabha polls in 2024.
"We call upon young people from different parties to come and join us to work for the poor and the people in general," he said.
Meanwhile, the CPI(M) expelled Rahman shortly after he joined the Trinamool Congress, for serious anti-party activities and joining the "enemy camp".