The BJP said the resignation was a reflection of TMC leaders’ anger at the party’s top brass. However, Mamata accuses the BJP of luring its Trinamool Congress (TMC) workers by offering them millions of rupees.
Adhikari, who was the face of the Nandigram movement that catapulted Mamata Bannerjee to power in 2011, sent her resignation letter to the prime minister by fax, which she later sent to Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar by email.
“I hereby submit my resignation from my post as Minister. Steps can be taken for immediate acceptance. At the same time, I am emailing this to His Excellency-Governor of West Bengal, for doing what is necessary to his end,” he said. Adhikari. in the resignation letter.
“I thank you for giving me the opportunity to serve the people of the state, which I did with commitment, dedication and sincerity,” he added.
The BJP, which made impressive progress in the state in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections by winning 18 seats, will do everything possible to oust the Mamata government in the assembly elections early next year. The party’s state unit was quick to contact the top TMC leader.
BJP State President Dilip ghosh He said the saffron party has its doors open for the heavyweight leader and many others.
Adhikari’s resignation heralds the “end of the Trinamool Congress,” he said, adding that the party “will cease to exist.”
“The departure of Suvendu Adhikari from TMC is only a matter of time. There are several leaders of the ruling party who are unhappy with the way it works. We have kept our doors open,” Ghosh told reporters.
The same was shared by the BJP’s national secretary general, Kailash Vijayvargiya.
Suvendu ji was upset with Mamata Banerjee’s arrogance and corruption. If Suvendu ji comes to BJP he will be welcome… https://t.co/b0upNRPxyW
– ANI (@ANI) 1606481305000
In another development, disgruntled TMC MLA from Coochbehar South, Mihir Goswami, left the party on Friday and went to New Delhi with BJP MP Nisith Pramanik. Later in the evening, he joined the saffron party at its headquarters here in the presence of BJP General Secretary Kailash Vijayvargiya.
Several Trinamool leaders have left the party to join the BJP ahead of the assembly elections to be held next year.
Feeling anger within the party, Mamata has tried to reach out to disgruntled leaders. At a rally earlier this week, Mamata said the party will rectify the mistakes it has made.
“I have been in politics my whole life. Through my experience, I can never claim that everyone is good. There may be one or two people who are not, but we will fix those mistakes. The TMC will rectify if any mistakes have been made.” Mamata said.
“There may be misunderstandings or someone may be angry at some people, but please don’t misunderstand the party for that,” he appealed.
Mamata also announced that from now on he would take care of both administrative work and party work, amid reports that many leaders were not happy with the importance given to strategist Prashant Kishor and also to his nephew Abhishek Banerjee, who is a deputy from Daimond Harbor.
Adhikari disagreed with the party and had expressed his displeasure by not attending cabinet or party meetings. He also stopped using Trinamool banners at his political meetings.
Sources close to Adhikari said he was unhappy with the organizational restructuring carried out a few months ago, including raising the stature of Mamata’s nephew within the party.
His eventual loss of the match can be a huge blow to Trinamool as, apart from his home district of East Midnapore, Adhikari has influence over at least 35-40 assembly segments found in West Midnapore, Bankura, Purulia and Jhargram, and parts of Birbhum – the tribal-dominated Junglemahal region.
Adhikari also resigned as chairman of the Haldia Development Authority, the agency that oversees development works in the industrial city of Haldia and its adjacent areas in the East Midnapore district.
On Wednesday, he had resigned as chairman of the Hooghly River Bridge Commissioners (HRBC), which is the custodian of several Kolkata bridges and flyovers, including the iconic Vidyasagar Setu.
Adhikari also avoided his category Z security coverage provided by the state government, the sources said.
MPs Sougata Roy and Sudip Bandopadhyay were delegated to speak with him and address complaints, even as he continued to tour the state and lead rallies organized by his supporters but without the TMC banner, something unusual for the party.
Reacting to the development, Roy said he was hopeful that Adhikari will continue in the party as he has not resigned his membership or resigned as a member of the MLA.
The senior party leader said that during the two meetings with Adhikari, he had the feeling that he did not want to leave the party.
“We’ll talk to him,” Roy said.
And it is not just the BJP that poses a challenge for Mamata, Asaduddin Owaisi’s All India Majlis-e-Ittehad-ul-Muslimeen (AIMIM) also announced that it will participate in the 2021 assembly elections in Bengal.
The TMC has called it a “communal force acting like the BJP team B”.
Bengal has a sizeable Muslim population and AIMIM may cut Trinamool’s votes. Owaisi’s party, which won five seats in the Bihar polls, appears to have gained a lot in the share of the Mahagathbandhan opposition vote.
(With inputs from agencies)
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