Updated: November 27, 2020 2:45:25 pm
Suvendu Adhikari resigned a day earlier as chairman of the Hooghly River Bridge Commissioners (HRBC)
The main leader of the Trinamool Congress, Suvendu Adhikari, that has been distancing itself from the ruling party For several months, he tendered his resignation as West Bengal’s Transport Minister on Friday. He sent his resignation letter to Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee by fax and also forwarded to Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar. The development comes a day after Adhikari resigned as chairman of the Hooghly River Bridge Commissioners (HRBC).
“I hereby submit my resignation from my position as Minister. Steps can be taken for immediate acceptance. I am simultaneously emailing this to His Excellency-Governor of West Bengal, for doing what is necessary to his end. I thank you for giving me the opportunity to serve the people of the state, which I did with commitment, dedication and sincerity, ”Adhikari wrote in her letter to Banerjee.
Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar also confirmed the fact, tweeting: “Today at 1:05 pm I have been sent a letter of resignation from Suvendu Adhikari from his post as Minister addressed to the Honorable Chief Minister. The subject will be approached from a constitutional perspective ”.
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According to close associates of Suvendu, he is in contact with the central leadership of the BJP and may soon join the saffron party in the presence of top management.
In recent weeks, Adhikari, who also held the irrigation and water resources portfolio, has criticized the TMC and addressed political rallies under non-TMC banners. An organization called “Dadar Anugami (Brother’s Followers) ”in support of Adhikari has also sprung up in different places.
The gap widened during the “Nandigram Dibas” demonstrations earlier this month in which both sides made spiteful speeches in two separate demonstrations. In 2007, Suvendu, then an MLA, spearheaded the anti-land acquisition movement in Nandigram that ultimately helped the Trinamool Congress evict the 34-year-old Left Front government in 2011.
In a demonstration to the contrary, Minister Firhad Hakim, without naming Suvendu, called him a “traitor”. Suvendu also challenged the party leaders saying: “They come to Nandigram before the elections. What do you do after the elections? … Where have you been in the last 13 years? … A known Brahmin does not need the sacred thread to establish his identity. “
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In an attempt to calm things down, TMC political strategist Prashant Kishore and TMC veteran MP Saugata Roy went to Adhikari’s home but were unable to break the ice.
Trinamool leaders said Adhikari has started to distance himself from the party due to the rise of Abhishek Banerjee, a party deputy and Mamata’s nephew. Abhishek has been given more responsibilities in managing the party, which has reportedly upset Adhikari.
The move does not bode well for the TMC just ahead of the crucial 2021 Bengal Assembly elections, as Adhikari wields influence over 16 Assembly seats in East Midnapore, as well as seats in West Midnapore districts, Bankura, Purulia, Murshidabad and Malda.
Formerly a Congressional family, the Adhikaris of East Midnapore joined the Trinamool Congress after Mamata formed the party in 1998. Suvendu is the son of MP Sisir Adhikari, who was the Union Minister of State for Rural Development in UPA-2 . Suvendu himself has been a deputy in UPA-1 and UPA-2.
In 2009, Suvendu Adhikari defeated CPM strongman Lakshman Seth in Tamluk by 1.73 lakh votes. In 2014, he was re-elected to Lok Sabha. In 2016, he won the Nandigram Assembly seat and was appointed Minister of Transport. In September 2014, the CBI questioned Adhikari on the Saradha account fund scam. He was also seen in alleged images of the Narada scam.
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