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A political dispute has surfaced within the Nationalist Citizens Party of India (NCPI), a relatively little-known outfit in Tripura that recently inducted 20 rebel Trinamool Congress MPs. Three Muslim Lok Sabha MPs who joined the NCPI from the Trinamool Congress have reportedly raised concerns over the party's alliance with the BJP, according to sources. The development comes weeks after two rounds of rebellion significantly weakened the Trinamool's strength in Parliament and the state Assembly.

The three MPs -- Abu Taher Khan, Khalilur Rahman and Yusuf Pathan -- have opposed the NCPI's close association with the BJP and have stayed away from meetings of the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA), sources said.

The MPs are believed to be concerned that their association with the BJP could alienate their traditional voter base. The faction led by former West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee, however, has accused them of trying to mislead voters in their constituencies.

Abu Taher Khan Says NCPI Will Not Join NDA

On Saturday, Abu Taher Khan and Khalilur Rahman met Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari and raised concerns over alleged harassment of people in Murshidabad during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise. "We have already made it clear that we won't go with the BJP and will not be part of the NDA," Khan said. He also called for greater attention to the Muslim community, particularly sections that remain socio-economically disadvantaged.

"There is a need to pay special attention to the Muslim community, particularly those who are lagging. He has agreed to take measures regarding this matter," Khan said.

Trinamool Leaders Accuse Rebels Of Misleading Voters

Senior Trinamool Congress leader Kalyan Banerjee criticised the rebel MPs and accused them of misleading the public. "They are misleading everyone. They had submitted a letter stating that they were partners of the NCPI - a letter that is also with the Speaker. Furthermore, leaders of their party have already declared that the NCPI is an ally of the NDA," he said.

Banerjee said the MPs were facing difficulties in returning to their constituencies, where minorities constitute a significant share of the electorate. "Minorities make up 60 to 65 per cent of the voters in Murshidabad, and they have been betrayed. Now, these two leaders are trying to downplay the situation," he added.

Trinamool MLA Kunal Ghosh also took a swipe at Khan and Rahman, accusing the NCPI of being aligned with the BJP. "These people are confused. This is the B-team of the BJP," Ghosh said.

He alleged that the MPs had won their seats with anti-BJP votes as Trinamool candidates backed by Mamata Banerjee and were now attempting to maintain their political standing by meeting BJP leaders.

NCPI Plays Down Differences

Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar, who heads the NCPI faction, sought to minimise the apparent differences within the party. "We held a lengthy discussion with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday. We spent over two hours inside and received many suggestions from him for the development of West Bengal. Abu Taher was present there. I don't know what he said just now," she said.

Despite their reservations about the BJP alliance, Khan, Rahman and Pathan had travelled to Delhi along with Birbhum MPs Satabdi Roy and Asit Mal for a meeting with Union Home Minister Amit Shah.

They also attended a breakfast meeting hosted by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at his residence on Friday. The three MPs have maintained that while they do not subscribe to the BJP's political ideology, they are willing to work with both the central and state governments in the interests of people in their constituencies.

The differences became apparent last week when NCPI MPs attended the NDA MPs' 'Mangal Milan' meeting. The NCPI's presence at the gathering stood at 17 as Khan, Rahman and Pathan stayed away.

Meanwhile, senior Trinamool Congress leader Saugata Roy had claimed last week that some of the rebel MPs were in contact with him and were considering returning to Mamata Banerjee's faction.