Senior Trinamool Congress MP Saugata Roy has rejected an offer from the BJP to switch sides, asserting he will stay in the party on whose symbol he was elected.
Roy's remarks came as the TMC's leadership met with INDIA bloc partners in Delhi, even as the party battled visible defections at home.
The TMC is under sustained pressure, and backing from allies would strengthen it, Roy said, citing the Congress's response to a recent mob attack on TMC general secretary Abhishek Banerjee.
Roy, a five-term Lok Sabha MP, attributed the fractures in the TMC to those who "don't have mental strength" and change their attitude when the situation is bad.
The TMC would "stand up again" when Mamata Banerjee hits the street, Roy said, listing her nephew Abhishek Banerjee among younger parliamentarians who could overcome the crisis.
