NEW DELHI: Mamata Banerjee, who has already lost several of his key leaders to the BJP, was rocked by another round of resignations on Thursday.
Suvendu Adhikari, who had set the stage for his departure from Trinamool by resigning as the MLA, today severed ties with the party by resigning from primary membership.
However, unsurprisingly, he did not leave alone.
Trinamool MLA Jitendra Tiwari, who was the Paschim Bardhaman district head of the Trinamool Congress, also left the party.
Jitendra Tiwari was present at the closed-door meeting Suvendu had held yesterday at the residence of TMC MP Sunil Mandal hours after his resignation as MLA.
Tiwari’s departure was expected after he had come out against the party leadership for Asansol’s alleged negligence.
He had written to the state municipal affairs minister Firhad Hakim a few days ago, stating that the Asansol Municipal Corporation had been deprived of central funds of Rs 2 billion as the state government had created obstacles in its selection in the smart city project. .
And while Suvendu and Jitendra Tiwari’s departure was on the expected line, Mamata received a third blow of the day when the chairman of the South Bengal State Transport Corporation (SBSTC), Colonel (R) Diptangshu Chaudhury also introduced him formally his resignation.
He also resigned as an advisor to the Complaints and Monitoring Cell in the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO).
Several dissident leaders resigned after Suvendu
Hours after Suvendu’s resignation, many dissident leaders and activists began to resign from their respective positions in the party in west bengal.
Dipankar Arora, alias Manik, who was the former president of Trinamool’s youth arm in Siliguri, resigned from the party, along with many others.
In Harishchandrapur of Malda district, Trinamool Congress panchayat leader Dronacharya Banerjee also resigned from the party. He sent his resignation to the president of the party bloc.
In Durgapur, the district president of the local municipality, Chandrashekhar Banerjee, resigned from his post. He sent his resignation to the mayor of Durgapur, Dilip Kumar Agasthi.
TMC minimizes resignations
Trinamool leaders tried to downplay the resignations. TMC Senior Leader Subrata Mukherjee said: “TMC is a great party. The fate of the party does not depend on one or two people. Is it possible? Look at the large number of people who attend Mamata Banerjee meetings.”
Mukherjee, who is also the state minister for panchayat and rural development, said that Adhikari’s departure from the party could be a big problem for the media but not for party members.
“We (TMC) work for the people. Show us any other political party in the country that goes from door to door,” he said referring to TMC’s ‘Duare sarkar’ program.
MHA increases pressure on central delegation of IPS officers
Even when Mamata Banerjee was busy dealing with rebellions in her party, the Center sent a new letter to her government to immediately relieve three IPS officers for the central deputation.
Five days after the West Bengal government said it will not relieve the three IPS officers, the Center sent a new letter on Thursday, asking the state to release them immediately so they can take up their new assignments.
The three officers – Bholanath Pandey (SP, Diamond Harbor), Praveen Tripathi (DIG, Presidency Range) and Rajeev Mishra (ADG, South Bengal) – were responsible for the security of the BJP chief, JP Nadda during his December 9-10 visit to the politically volatile state.
The Center wants them changed due to an alleged breach of duty that led to an attack on Nadda’s convoy in the Diamond Harbor district of TMC MP and Banerjee’s nephew, Abhishek Banerjee. Several convoy vehicles were damaged and BJP leaders were injured in the attack.
A militant Mamata called the measure “unconstitutional and unacceptable” and a “blatant attempt to control the state machinery by proxy”, which intensified tensions between the state and the Center.
“This measure, particularly before the elections, goes against the basic principles of the federal structure. It is unconstitutional and completely unacceptable!” she said.
Governor writes to Mamata
Meanwhile, Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar has written a letter to Mamata Banerjee urging the state administration to take urgent action on the apprehensions expressed by former minister Suvendu Adhikari. Adhikari had said he could be involved “in bogus criminal cases for political reasons and for revenge”.
The governor said that the politically inspired involvement of opponents in criminal cases is unconstitutional and also a crime.
In the letter to the Chief Minister, Dhankhar said: “Please take urgent note and all expected action on the representation of former Minister Suvendu Adhikari …”
Ex-Trinamool leaders can join BJP
Mamata has maintained a courageous front despite the avalanche of resignations from the party and everyone else ahead of the assembly elections.
But it definitely faces a tough task with the BJP determined to make big strides in the assembly elections.
There is intense speculation that former Trinamool leaders will join the BJP at Union Interior Minister Amit Shah’s rally in East Midnapore on Saturday.
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