Baishali Dalmiya is the daughter of former BCCI chief Jagmohan Dalmiya
As several Trinamool Congress leaders joined the BJP in recently, another prominent party MLA has hit out against some of her colleagues and described them as "termites". In an interview to NDTV, Baishali Dalmiya said she is not considering joining the BJP but will stay within the party and fight elements that are working against the state and the interests of the party.
The Bally MLA also said that this is the same reason that another former cricketer Lakshmi Ratan Shukla also quit the party. Ms Dalmiya, 52, was seen with Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee when she visited former India captain and BCCI chief Sourav Ganguly who is recovering at Woodlands Hospital.
"I have complaints against some people who are working against the party, against the people and against the community I serve. I have reservations against them. There are people in my area who are not allowing business to flourish in Howrah. There are people who are trying to create hurdles for MLAs, MPs and other leaders of the party," Ms Dalmiya told NDTV.
"I want these termites - I call them termites - to be eradicated so that it is good for the community, it is good for the common people, it is good for senior workers of the party who have given their blood and sweat for the party but do not get any position in the party just because of these few people," she added.
When asked if she was also heading to the BJP, she said, "I haven't thought about it because I have a lot of patience and I will try to fight till the end. That is the reason I am vocal about these issues."
Baishali Dalmiya is the daughter of former BCCI chief Jagmohan Dalmiya and was given a TMC ticket from Bally in the last election. She won the seat but has emerged as one of the dissenting voices within the party in the run up to the elections this year. Several other Trinamool MLAs have quit the party over differences in the manner of its functioning, the biggest name being Suvendu Adhikari, who has since joined the BJP.
Hitting out at corrupt party functionaries, Ms Dalmiya told NDTV, "There are several people here who are involved in illegal construction, taking cut money from contractors working for the government or harassing factory owners. These people misbehave with the public. Not everyone is like this but there are a few and I am raising my voice against them."