Published 15:11 IST, December 17th 2020
Suvendu Adhikari quits Trinamool; Speaker refuses to accept his resignation as MLA
A day after quitting from the Bengal assembly, Suvendu Adhikari officially quit the Trinamool party on Thursday. Tendering his resignation to TMC chief Mamata
A day after quitting from the Bengal assembly, Suvendu Adhikari officially quit the Trinamool party on Thursday. Tendering his resignation to TMC chief Mamata Banerjee, Adhikari thanked her for the opportunities afforded to him. Adhikari, whose resignation has not been accepted by the Speaker, will purportedly join BJP in the presence of Amit Shah on Saturday.
Suvendu Adhikari quits Trinamool
Rejecting Adhikari's resignation as the Nandigram MLA, Speaker Biman Banerjee said, " Norms were not followed while Suvendu tendered his resignation. It is under my examination until and unless the final order is passed, it cannot be constituted that the resignation is accepted or rejected. I will pass a reasoned order in due course".
Suvendu to join BJP
Reacting to Suvendu's exit, West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee said that 'people who won't get a ticket are going away'. Addressing a public rally, Banerjee lashed out at the saffron party saying that they were 'attacking the TMC', but added, 'TMC is as deep-rooted as a Banyan tree'. Adhikari has also written to WB Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar, seeking his intervention so that the police and administration apparatus is dissuaded from implicating him and his followers in criminal cases.
After his resignation, sources said that Adhikari is set to join the saffron party on Saturday, in the presence of Home Minister Amit Shah. Adhikari is set to join BJP in the presence of ex-BJP chief Amit Shah at Medinipur town in West Midnapore district, which is Shah's first stop in his second Bengal visit in two months. Hours after he resigned as MLA, Adhikari closed-door meeting with disgruntled leaders of the party including senior MP Sunil Mandal and Asansol civic body chief Jitendra Tiwari according to PTI.
What happened between Suvendu Adhikari & Trinamool?
Adhikari - the mastermind of 2007 Nandigram agitation - holds influence in about 35 assembly constituencies in West Midnapore, Bankura, Purulia, Jhargram and Birbhum districts. He had been creating rumours for the past few months by holding rallies not under Trinamool flag or its supremo - Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's posters, and had skipped cabinet meetings. While Suvendu himself is very influential, his father Sisir Adhikari and younger brother Dibyendu Adhikari are TMC MPs from Tamluk and Kanthi Lok Sabha constituencies respectively. After the breakdown of talks, Adhikari resigned from the cabinet post of Transport minister after quitting as Hooghly River Bridge Commission chairman, saying it was 'difficult to work in TMC'. West Bengal goes to polls in April-May 2021, where Mamata Banerjee eyes a third consecutive term.
Updated 15:11 IST, December 17th 2020