Suvendu Adhikari to meet West Bengal Governor & Speaker after resignation as MLA rejected

As ex-Trinamool leader Suvendu Adhikari's resignation as MLA was not accepted, he is set to meet the West Bengal Speaker and Governor on Monday. Suvendu Adhikari officially quit the Trinamool party and on December 19 he joined BJP in presence of Union Home Minister Amit Shah in Midnapore. However, his resignation was not accepted by the assembly speaker, citing technical errors. 

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Suvendu Adhikari joins BJP

Adhikari, who played a crucial role in the 2007 Nandigram agitation that helped bring Mamata Banerjee to power in West Bengal, holds influence in about 35 assembly constituencies in West Midnapore, Bankura, Purulia, Jhargram and Birbhum districts. Penning an open letter hours before appearing on the stage with Home Minister Amit Shah, Suvendu Adhikari said that Trinamool has betrayed the party's ideals. Slamming the Trinamool, he said that a "deep rot and malaise" has set in the party. Stating that the party was not built in a day or by a person, Adhikari said that "individuals in charge of the party currently are treating it as their personal fiefdom." He went on to state that people who built the party are sidelined and in an apparent dig at Prashant Kishor said that those who have no idea about the sacrifices of the party are being hired to assist the party. 

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Speaker rejects Suvendu's resignation

Even as he resigned, the state legislative assembly speaker Biman Banerjee refused to accept Adhikari's resignation citing technical grounds. The assembly speaker said that the date was missing from Adhikari's resignation letter. He also said, "If a member hands over the letter of resignation to speaker personally and informs him that the resignation is voluntary and genuine, and the speaker has no information or knowledge to the contrary, the speaker may accept the resignation immediately. If the speaker receives the resignation letter either by post or through someone else, the speaker may make such enquiry as he thinks fit to satisfy himself that the resignation is voluntary and genuine." He added, "I hadn't been informed that his (Suvendu Adhikari) resignation is voluntary and genuine. So it's not possible to accept it. I have asked him to appear before me on December 21," he said.

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