Trinamool Congress leader and rebel minister Suvendu Adhikari formally resigned on Wednesday as MLA from the West Bengal Legislative Assembly. Unhappy with the Mamata Banerjee government in West Bengal, Adhikari had resigned from the state cabinet last month.
“I hereby submit my resignation as a member of the West Bengal Legislative Assembly. Steps can be taken for its immediate acceptance,” the MLA of the Nandigram constituency in the Purba Medinipur district said in a letter to the president.
According to sources close to him, Adhikari is likely to resign from the party’s main membership within a day or two and is expected to cross over to the saffron camp later this week.
His induction is likely to come during Interior Minister Amit Shah’s visit to the state later this week. Adhikari is expected to travel to Delhi before switching sides. The Union Interior Ministry is also expected to provide him with security, formalities that News18 has become aware of are currently in process.
BJP National Vice President Mukul Roy praised Adhikari’s decision and said the saffron party would welcome him with open arms. “The day that Suvendu Adhikari resigned from the state cabinet, I said that I would be happy if he leaves the TMC and joins the BJP. Today he resigned as an MLA and I welcome his decision,” Roy said.
BJP State President Dilip Ghosh also praised Adhikari’s decision and said the BJP would be happy to welcome him. Reconciliation efforts by veteran TMC leaders like Saugata Roy and Sudip Bandopadhyay had failed to placate Adhikari.
Before resigning as Minister of Transport and Irrigation, Adhikari had disagreed with Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and had not attended state cabinet meetings.
The Trinamool Congress has already decided that it will not take any further initiative to convince disgruntled Adhikari to stay in the party. However, the party is open to hearing him, if he has something to say to Banerjee.
Reacting to the development, TMC MP Kalyan Banerjee said, “It’s a nice relief.” “It is a great relief that he has stepped down from the MLA post. He is too ambitious and wants to join the BJP as he wants to become the next CM or deputy CM. You can move on, we are sure to win the next assembly elections under the Mamata Banerjee’s leadership, “Banerjee said.
For the past few months, Adhikari was seen addressing rallies without wearing TMC symbols and flags. At all the rallies, a sea of people claiming to be ‘Amra Dadar Anugami’ (followers of the older brother) were seen marching behind Adhikari.
Adhikari was the point man behind Banerjee’s movement at Nandigram in East Midnapore in 2007, which helped her topple a 34-year-old Left Front rule in Bengal.
On December 2, he reportedly expressed his dismay via a WhatsApp message to party deputy Saugata Roy over the details of the meeting (to resolve differences between him and the party) that were leaked to the media. stating that all the ‘problems’ were solved.
Adhikari, in her message, mentioned that she was supposed to address the media on December 6, but did not like the way the details of the meeting were shared with journalists before her scheduled press conference.
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