A fresh rift has emerged within the Nationalist Citizens Party of India (NCPI) after three of its Lok Sabha MPs opposed the party’s close ties with the BJP. The three MPs, Abu Taher Khan, Khalilur Rahman and Yusuf Pathan, are among the former Trinamool Congress rebels who joined the NCPI. Sources said they are uncomfortable with the party’s alliance with the BJP and have been staying away from meetings of the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA).

The NCPI, a little-known political outfit in Tripura, recently absorbed 20 rebel Trinamool Congress MPs. The development came weeks after two separate rebellions weakened the Trinamool Congress and stripped it of most of its parliamentarians and MLAs.

The three Muslim MPs are concerned that the NCPI’s proximity to the BJP could affect their traditional voter base. They have maintained that they do not support the BJP’s politics. At the same time, they have said they will cooperate with the central and state governments on issues related to the development of their constituencies.

On Saturday, Abu Taher Khan and Khalilur Rahman met Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari. During the meeting, they raised concerns about the treatment 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," said Abu Taher Khan on Saturday.

"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," he added.

The stand taken by the three MPs has drawn criticism from the Trinamool Congress faction that remains loyal to former chief minister Mamata Banerjee. Trinamool MP Kalyan Banerjee accused the rebel MPs of trying to mislead voters.

"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. The reality now is that, after joining the NCPI, they are unable to enter their constituencies. 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 said.

Kunal Ghosh, another senior Trinamool leader and Mamata Banerjee loyalist, also attacked Khan and Rahman. He accused them of being confused about their political position and questioned their decision to maintain ties with BJP leaders.

"These people are confused. This is the B-team of the BJP. Now, what is happening in their area, the public is saying that you won here with anti-BJP votes. You won as Mamata Banerjee's candidate... So, to maintain their equation, to keep the Lok Sabha seats, these people are roaming around the houses of BJP leaders," he said.

Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar, who leads the NCPI faction, played down the differences, stating that the party’s MPs had held a detailed meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday and discussed development-related issues concerning West Bengal.

"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 opposition to an alliance with the BJP, Khan, Rahman and Pathan travelled to Delhi along with Birbhum MPs Satabdi Roy and Asit Mal. The group met Union Home Minister Amit Shah and also attended a breakfast meeting at Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s residence on Friday morning.

Their participation in these meetings has added to the confusion over their position within the NCPI and the NDA. The three MPs have continued to insist that they do not support BJP politics. They have also maintained that cooperation with the central and state governments is necessary to work for the people of their constituencies.

The differences became more visible last week during the NCPI MPs’ participation in the ‘Mangal Milan’, a meeting of NDA MPs. While the NCPI was represented at the gathering, its strength stood at 17 instead of the full 20. Khan, Rahman and Pathan skipped the meeting.

The latest dispute has also revived questions about the future of the rebel Trinamool MPs who joined the NCPI. Senior Trinamool Congress leader Saugata Roy claimed last week that some of the rebel MPs were in contact with him and looking to return to Mamata Banerjee’s faction.

The three MPs’ refusal to join the NDA meetings, combined with their public statements against the BJP alliance, has exposed differences within the NCPI.