After Mithun Chakraborty claims that 38 of Mamata Banerjee's MLAs in touch with BJP, TMC calls him 'mentally ill'

New Delhi: Hours after Mithun Chakraborty, who joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) ahead of the 2021 West Bengal Assembly polls, claimed that 38 of Mamata Banerjee's MLAs are "in touch" with the saffron camp, the Trinamool Congress (TMC) on Wednesday (July 27) said that the actor-turned-politician is "mentally ill". Talking to news agency ANI, TMC MP Santanu Sen said that Chakraborty "does not know politics."

"I heard that Mithun Chakraborty was admitted to a hospital a few days back. I think he was mentally ill and not physically... The problem is that he does not know politics," Sen said.

The TMC MP also said that the famed actor is "trying to fool the people by making false claims".

"Such statements are an attempt to fool the masses. It has no relation with reality," Sen was quoted as saying by the news agency PTI.

His remarks came after Mithun Chakraborty said that 21 of the 38 West Bengal legislators are "directly" in touch with him and hinted that Maharashtra-like development could happen in the eastern state too.

"At this moment, 38 TMC MLAs are having very good relations with us. Out of them, 21 are directly in touch with me. When I was in Mumbai, I came across the news one fine morning that the Shiv Sena and the BJP had formed the government in Maharashtra. How do you know that same thing will not happen here in West Bengal," Chakraborty said while addressing a press conference.

LIVE : Press conference by @mithunda_off, National Executive Committee Member at Hastings BJP Office. https://t.co/R3M6HqzbMl — BJP Bengal (@BJP4Bengal) July 27, 2022

"You might also get up one fine morning and see a similar thing here and wonder what has happened," he added.

He was referring to the Uddhav Thackeray-led Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government in Maharashtra, comprising the Shiv Sena, NCP, and the Congress, collapsing last month after Eknath Shinde raised a banner of revolt against the Sena leadership with a majority of party MLAs.

Chakraborty also stated that today was a "music launch, the movie will release later".

BJP's flag will 'fly high' in few other states very soon: Mithun Chakraborty

"When we make movies, we launch its music, the trailer, and the movie. Today was the music release," he said, alluding to his claim about 38 TMC MLAs.

He said the BJP is in power in 18 states, and the party's flag will "fly high in a few other states very soon".

"The BJP will not stop its fight in West Bengal. If free and fair polls are held in the state today, the party will form the next government. The saffron party is not only in power at the Centre but also in 18 states. Four (states) others are also crawling to come into our fold," the actor claimed.

Earlier, Leader of Opposition in West Bengal Assembly Suvendu Adhikari had also claimed that the Mamata Banerjee-led TMC government in the state won't complete its five-year term as it will be ousted by 2024.

The TMC, notably, has 216 MLAs in the 294-member West Bengal Assembly. The opposition BJP has 75 legislators. However, five saffron camp MLAs have joined the ruling party without resigning as legislators.

No one would be able to protect Partha Chatterjee if he is wrong: Mithun Chakraborty

Speaking on the arrest of state minister Partha Chatterjee by the Enforcement Directorate in connection with an alleged school jobs scam, Mithun Chakraborty said if there were pieces of evidence against him, the law would take its own course.

"I don't want to make any personal comment. If he has committed no wrong, he has nothing to worry about. And if there is evidence of any wrongdoing, no one would be able to protect him. The law will take its own course," he said.

(With agency inputs)