Nine days after launching a veiled challenge to the Trinamool Congress (TMC) leadership, West Bengal Transport Minister and heavyweight leader Suvendu Adhikari on Thursday sounded calm at a rally, saying that neither Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee he has fired the cabinet or left the party.
“I remain a leading active member of the party. I am still a minister and part of the cabinet. Neither the prime minister has fired me, nor have I resigned on my own. I am here as long as the higher authorities do not expel me or I leave, ”Adhikari said at a large demonstration organized on the occasion of the 67th National Cooperative Week by various banks and cooperative organizations in Nandakumar, East Midnapore district.
“Some people expect me to make a political statement today. I can not do this. We came from the land of Iswarchandra Vidyasagar, ”Adhikari said, referring to the 19th century social reformer and educator. “You cannot make political statements while you remain in the party and in the cabinet. There may be differences and differences can lead to separation. But as long as I’m in the party, I can’t act irresponsibly, ”Adhikari said.
Top TMC leaders told HT last week that Adhikari is particularly unhappy with the organizational decisions made by the prime minister’s nephew and Lok Sabha member, Abhishek Banerjee, and election strategist Prashant Kishor, who was caught after the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) won 18 out of 42 from the state. Lok Sabha seats in 2019.
On November 10, Adhikari issued a veiled challenge to the party while addressing a public rally in Nandigram, his constituency in East Midnapore.
“Political observers are waiting for me to announce my political program. They want to hear me talk about the obstacles I face and the path I am going to take. I will not announce my political program from this sacred platform. This is not the place. I will speak from a political platform, ”Adhikari said. “I am not afraid of anyone. We will meet on the battlefield, ”he added without naming anyone, not even TMC.
Sparking speculation that he might join the BJP, Adhikari ended his short speech with the slogan “Bharat Mata Zindabad”, which appeared to be an improvisation of the Hindi slogan put forth by the BJP leaders. The TMC hastily held a demonstration against it in Nandigram and the Minister of Urban Development, Firhad Hakim, attacked Adhikari without naming him.
Two high-ranking members of TMC Lok Sabha, Saugata Roy and Sudip Bandopadhyay, had had low-key talks with the rebel minister since then. Even Kishor visited the minister’s father, Lok Sabha member Sisir Adhikari, last week and had a long discussion. His efforts apparently had some effect.
“I had a chat with Suvendu earlier this week. I informed Mamata Banerjee about what happened. She has given her initial reaction. I’ll talk to Sudip and we’ll talk to Suvendu again next week. He told us that he has not made any decision about the exit of the game, “Saugata Roy said on Thursday.
Amid TMC’s efforts to pacify Adhikari, the BJP did not hide what it thinks about the situation.
“What is happening between the TMC and Adhikari and the language used against them by some of the leaders cannot exactly be described as a honeymoon,” joked BJP State Vice President Jay Prakash Majumdar.
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