Kolkata: Hours after senior Trinamool Congress leader Suvendu Adhikari resigned from the West Bengal cabinet, state BJP president Dilip Ghosh said Friday the saffron party has its doors open for the heavyweight leader and many others. Adhikari’s resignation heralds the ‘end of Trinamool Congress’, Dilip Ghosh claimed. He added that the party will ‘cease to exist’.
“The exit of Suvendu Adhikari from TMC is only a matter of time. There are several leaders of the ruling party who are disgruntled with its way of functioning. We have kept our doors open for them,” Ghosh told reporters here.
Adhikari, who has been at odds with the party’s top brass, tendered his resignation Friday as the state’s Transport Minister. He had resigned Thursday as chairman of state-run Hoogly River Bridge Commissioners dealing a blow to TMC’s backchannel talks to woo him back before the 2021 state polls.
Adhikari faxed his resignation letter to Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and forwarded it to Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar by e-mail.
“Today at 1.05pm a resignation letter of Mr Suvendu Adhikari from office as minister addressed to Hon’ble Chief Minister has been forwarded to me. The issue will be addressed from constitutional perspective,” the governor tweeted.
In another development disgruntled TMC MLA from Coochbehar Mihir Goswami, who had expressed his desire to quit the party, left for New Delhi with BJP MP Nisiht Pramanik on Friday fuelling speculations over his next move. According to state BJP sources, Goswami might join the saffron camp this evening.
However, what is interesting to note the Adhikari’s father Sisir and brother Dibyendu are still Trinamool MPs. It remains to be seen the position they adopt. In the past, the Adhikari family has taken decisions jointly. If the father and brother follow Adhikari’s footsteps it will be more than a body blow to the TMC.