West Bengal Assembly Speaker Biman Banerjee on Monday, 21 December, accepted the resignation of Suvendu Adhikari with immediate effect, two days after he joined the BJP in the presence of Union Home Minister Amit Shah.
On Friday, Banerjee had refused to accept the resignation of Adhikari and had asked him to appear before him on Monday. The Speaker had reportedly said the resignation was not accepted owing to procedural flaws.
Ahead of the West Bengal elections next year, Adhikari had tendered his resignation as a member of the Trinamool Congress as well as from the membership of the Legislative Assembly last week.
Adhikari Meets Governor
"Suvendu Adhikari appeared before me today and told me that he resigned without being under anyone else's influence. I am satisfied that his resignation is voluntary and genuine. I accept his resignation with immediate effect," Biman Banerjee was quoted as saying on Monday.
“The Speaker asked me if I drafted and submitted the resignation letter on my own, exercising my free will, to which I said yes. He then conveyed to me that he’s accepting my resignation.”Suvendu Adhikari, as quoted by ANI
Adhikari also met state Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar on Monday.
Adhikari had earlier 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 Abhishek Banerjee were even seen taking potshots indirectly at each other, without taking names at recent public meetings.
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)