Kolkata: It has been on the anvil for some time now – the rift between top heavyweight Suvendu Adhikari and other leaders of the Trinamool Congress (TMC). And in spite of efforts the rift is out in the open now. West Bengal Transport Minister Suvendu Adhikari tendered his resignation Friday from the Cabinet sparking off a huge debate. Earlier Suvendu Adhikari had resigned Thursday from the post of chairman of the Hooghly River Bridge Commissioners. He did not offer any explanation giving rise to speculation that he may soon and join the BJP.
TMC MP Kalyan Banerjee was named the chairman soon after Adhikari submitted his resignation. Banerjee is a known Adhikari-baiter and in the recent past has attacked the latter.
Adhikari sent his resignation to Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee by fax and then sent an email to West Bengal Governor Jagdeep Dhankar informing him of his decision.
Sources said that Adhikari was unhappy at the way Mamata’s nephew Abhishek Banerjee and election strategist Prashant Kishor were running the party. He time and again had refused to follow Kishor’s guidelines.
It should be stated here that Adhikari (50) is a two-time former Lok Sabha member. He and his father have a huge support base in Midnapore district. He is acknowledged as one of the leaders who helped Mamata galvanise the anti-land acquisition movement at Nandigram in East Midnapore district during the Left Front’s rule. It ultimately led to the end of the Left Front rule in West Bengal in 2011. The former youth leader of the TMC also oversaw poll preparations in other districts after the TMC came to power.
However, it is not Adhikari alone who seems dissatisfied with the TMC. In a simultaneous development, Cooch Behar MLA Mihir Goswami said Thursday that he wants to quit the party Friday.
Goswami had resigned from all posts in the party in October. He recently said that Mamata was not in control of the party any more. He wrote on his Facebook page Thursday that he will snap all ties Friday with the TMC.
“The TMC had sent two of its veteran leaders MP Saugata Roy and state minister Rabindranath Ghosh to meet Adhikari and Goswami. The ice, however, did not melt,” said a senior TMC leader, requesting anonymity.
