After announcing his resignation, Suvendu holds meeting with disgruntled TMC leaders

Hours after he resigned as MLA, rebel TMC leader Suvendu Adhikari on Wednesday held a closed-door meeting with disgruntled leaders of the party including senior MP Sunil Mandal and Asansol civic body chief Jitendra Tiwari here, sources said.

The closed-door meeting that began at 7 PM is still on. The TMC leadership refused to attach much importance to the development and said those who want are free to leave the party.

Adhikari, who had resigned from the state cabinet last month and quit as party MLA on Wednesday, went to Mandals residence at Kanksa in Paschim Bardhaman district.

Mandal, a two-time Bardhaman Purba Lok Sabha MP, welcomed Adhikari and took him inside, the sources said. He had come out in support of Adhikari in the morning and blamed the party for not addressing the grievances on time as a sense of drift has crept in.

Within a few minutes, Tiwari, who had recently slammed the state government for depriving the industrial town of Asansol of central funds for political reasons, was also seen entering the residence, the sources said. Tiwari is MLA from Pandabeswar assembly segment. Few other disgruntled TMC leaders from Birbhum, Bardhaman too had joined the meeting, they added.