December 16, 2020 5:10:01 am
Trinamool Congress Leader Suvendu Adhikari
Trinamool Congress Leader Suvendu Adhikari, who resigned from the West Bengal cabinet and other positions last month, will join the BJP during Interior Minister Amit Shah’s visit to the state from December 19-20, according to sources. of the BJP.
During his visit to West Bengal over the weekend, Shah plans to address rallies in at least three districts, including East Midnapore, where Adhikari’s father and two brothers represent two Lok Sabha constituencies and a seat in the Assembly. Adhikari was elected from the Nandigram constituency.
“From now on Adhikari is expected to join the BJP in the (East Midnapore) rally,” said a BJP source. However, sources also said that Adhikari had previously backtracked on two dates of entry that he had engaged with the party leadership.
Sources said that Adhikari plans to visit New Delhi on Thursday to talk with the BJP leaders.
On Tuesday, BJP leader Kailash Vijayvargiya called Adhikari to wish him his birthday, further fueling speculation. Adhikari’s aides said the covers were being cleared for their formal incorporation. Sources said that he would resign from the main TMC membership on December 17 or 18.
In a new attack on Tuesday, Adhikari further distanced himself from TMC’s leadership, saying that “people who come from other states cannot be treated as outsiders.”
He was referring to the “internal-external” debate unleashed by TMC’s leadership to counter the BJP in the Assembly elections scheduled for next year. The TMC has often criticized the BJP for sending its leaders from other states to prepare for Assembly elections.
“Our identity is first that of an Indian and then that of a Bengali,” Adhikari said. Adhikari said that Bengal is a very important part of India and said that those who “come from other states cannot be treated as outsiders.”
Attacking the TMC leadership, Adhikari said: “Why should there be a government ‘by the party, by the party, by the party’ in Bengal? This is a democracy. We need to reestablish the rules according to the Constitution of India which says ‘by the people, by the people and by the people’ … I will support the people, by the people and with the people … I will leave my position soon. The Suvendu Adhikari family is not only made up of 5-7 people. My family is every village in Bengal… ”, he said.
“There are some people who are trying to smear me by saying that I longed for publications. I want to tell you that you will get an adequate response in the next assembly elections, ”he said.
With Adhikari expressing concern for his safety in the state, senior BJP leaders had met with Shah last month to seek improved security coverage for him. Your security has now been upgraded to Category Z.
BJP sources admitted that Adhikari joining the BJP would be a “big win” for the party in West Bengal. “Unlike many others, Adhikari has a clean image and is considered a leader of the masses. His departure from the TMC government has already hit the party badly. That is why he has been persuading him to change his mind, “said a source.
Another BJP leader said that Adhikari had “some doubts about joining the BJP because he feared that the Muslim base of support in his area could turn hostile.”
BJP sources said Adhikari could sway votes in at least 40 Assembly constituencies in six districts.
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