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News Desk: Disgruntled TMC leader Suvendu Adhikari on Wednesday resigned as party MLA amid speculation of him joining the BJP.
The TMC heavyweight, who was MLA from Nandigram, submitted his handwritten resignation to Speaker of the Assembly Biman Banerjee. Adhikari, an influential leader of West Bengal with a mass base, has been locked in a bitter tiff with the state government for several months now.
He had already stepped down as Minister of Transport, Irrigation and Waterways on November 27, triggering speculation that he may quit the ruling TMC ahead of the next year’s Assembly polls.
Following his resignation, the state’s ruling TMC made many attempts to pacify the rebel leader through several rounds of back-channel talks but failed to convince him.
According to sources, Adhikari is expected to join BJP on December 19 when Union Home Minister Amit Shah is likely to visit the poll-bound state for a two-day tour.
Commenting on the speculation, state minister Firhad Hakim said, “I don’t know what Suvendu Adhikari will do. But we grew up with Gandhism and we have to continue that way. How can someone who follows Gandhism, go to the murderer of Gandhi? I don’t believe he will do anything like that.”
Meanwhile, West Bengal BJP chief Dilip Ghosh said that it is up to Adhikari to decide what does he want to do. “It was bound to happen. Many MLAs left TMC earlier too and joined our party. There is no democracy or respect for people in TMC. Those who want to join in the change in Bengal and contribute to its development are leaving TMC and joining us,” he said.
“There are rumours and people are also hoping for the same. The chain of events is heading towards that. We are waiting, it is up to him to decide what does he want to do,” he added.
BJP vice president Mukul Roy said that TMC is collapsing like a house of cards, adding that everyday someone from the party comes to BJP to join the party.
“The day Suvendu Adhikari had resigned from the ministerial post, I had told I will be happy if he leaves TMC and we will welcome him. Today he has resigned from the membership of West Bengal Legislative Assembly and I welcome his decision,” he added.
Following his resignation as TMC MLA, Adhikari wrote to West Bengal Governor Jagdip Dhankar seeking his intervention to dissuade police and administration from implicating him and his associates in criminal cases “out of political vendetta”.