Calcutta, June 6: Congress MLA Abu Naser Khan Choudhury today joined Trinamul barely an hour after Rahul Gandhi had addressed supporters in Calcutta.

Asked about his decision, the 80-year-old Congress veteran referred to his elder brother. "Everyone knew (A.B.A.) Ghani Khan Choudhury and the amount of work he had done for the people. After his death, there was hardly any opportunity for me in the party."

State Congress chief Adhir Chowdhury said "the Congress won't be weakened in Malda because of Lebuda's (Abu Naser's) defection". Abu Naser's niece Mausam Noor, the Malda district Congress president, described the move as "a personal choice".