Amid buzz of him joining BJP, Suvendu Adhikari has tendered his resignation as a member of Trinamool Congress as well as from other positions in the party to West Bengal CM and TMC Chairperson Mamata Banerjee, ANI reported on Thursday, 17 December.
On Wednesday, the former Trinamool Congress leader had tendered his resignation from the membership of the West Bengal Legislative Assembly.
On Thursday, Biman Banerjee, Speaker of the Assembly, said according to ANI, “I have received Suvendu Adhikari's resignation letter from my secretariat. I have examined it and will issue a detailed order. Till then it would be wrong to say that it has been accepted or rejected.”
The TMC leader and former state transport and irrigation minister arrived at the Vidhan Sabha on Wednesday amid reports that he is likely to join the BJP during Union Home Minister Amit Shah's proposed visit to Bengal this week.
What Happened Earlier?
Adhikari had tendered his resignation as minister from the Mamata Banerjee-led state Cabinet on 27 November. He had also left the chairperson’s post of the Hooghly River Bridge Commissioners (HRBC) two days before that.
Sources cited by IANS said that Adhikari was unhappy with organisational decisions taken by Abhishek Banerjee and political strategist Prashant Kishor. Adhikari and Banerjee were even seen taking potshots indirectly at each other, without taking names at recent public meetings.
Adhikari is one of those leaders in the TMC with a strong grassroots connect. He was instrumental in the 2007 anti-land acquisition protests (which eventually saw the fall of the Left government in 2011), taking over the Jangalmahal area (then a CPI(M) bastion), and also making significant inroads for the TMC in Malda and Murshidabad.
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