Nawsad Siddique, the ISF MLA from Bhangar, on Thursday claimed he was offered money and a cabinet berth, and even issued threats by the Trinamul Congress to coerce him to join Bengal's ruling party.

Siddique’s charges come close on the heels of Congress MLA Bayron Biswas defecting to Trinamul, three months after being elected from Murshidabad’s Sagardighi.

“This entire process began from the day I took oath as an MLA in the Assembly. I was offered crores as well as a ministerial position or a senior post. When I refused all that, they started to threaten me. They even put me in jail. But I did not bow down,” Siddique said in an interview with ABP Ananda.

Siddique, whose nomination was supported by the Left and the Congress, spent 42 days in jail after he was arrested on January 21 during a demonstration in Calcutta where it was alleged that ISF supporters scuffled with police. The law enforcers pressed serious charges against the MLA such as the IPC 307 (attempt to murder).

Even Speaker Biman Banerjee had said he found no point in keeping an MLA behind bars for so long in connection with the case.

Trinamul has often been accused of encouraging defection in Bengal. Post-2021, seven BJP MLAs and a Congress MLA have joined Trinamul. Each time, charges surfaced that Trinamul used either force or money.

Opposition parties accused Biswas, who was also supported by the Left and the ISF, of switching camps for cash. Since his defection, many have upheld Siddique as an example of “a true leader” who couldn’t be broken or bought.

On Thursday, state Congress chief Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury and CPM leader Samik Lahiri lauded Siddique for his “boldness”.

Trinamul vice-president Jay Prakash Majumdar and state secretary Kunal Ghosh dared Siddique to prove his claims. “Let him come up with names of the leaders who approached him,” Majumdar said.

In response, Siddique said he would reveal details at an apt time. “They can move court against me if they want,” he said.