Ranjan Sarkar, the president of the Trinamul Congress’s Darjeeling (plains) district committee, has urged the BJP not to induct Trinamul leaders in Siliguri into the saffron camp.

Such Trinamul leaders work only to fulfil their own interests and hence, they should be stopped from entering any political platform, he added.

“We will always have political differences with the BJP… but I would like to request senior leaders of the BJP to shun the political culture of inducting the selfish and traitors into their party. These people, who have defected from Trinamul, worked only for their personal gains,” said Sarkar.

Nantu Paul, his wife Manjushree, Dipak Seal and Jyotsna Agarwal were among the Trinamul leaders who joined the BJP in recent days.

“These people have never worked for Siliguri residents but have used the party for their own interests. Such

people should not be allowed access to any political platform and we believe their presence in the political arena would only hinder the development of Siliguri,” said Sarkar.

Paul and his wife Manjushree are former councillors of wards 11 and 12 in the Siliguri Municipal Corporation and are believed to enjoy clout among shopowners.

Siliguri’s Bidhan Market is located in the two wards.

Sarkar’s strategy to reach out to the business community of these two wards and simultaneously send a message to the BJP is aimed at preventing the leaders who have deserted Trinamul from trying to drum up support for Shankar Ghosh, the BJP candidate of Siliguri, said observers.