Kolkata: A convoy of as many as 30 vehicles headed out for the Midnapore College Ground where Union Home Minister Amit Shah was scheduled to address a mega public meeting on Saturday. The convoy packed with dissident lawmakers, MPs and other Trinamool Congress leaders set out for the venue at around 12.15 p.m. from Mecheda's guest house in East Midnapore.
They started after former West Bengal Transport and Irrigation Minister Suvendu Adhikari stepped out of his Contai residence for the Midnapore College Ground.
According to sources, at least nine sitting legislators, besides Suvendu Adhikari, and a Lok Sabha MP from the state's ruling Trinamool Congress, Left Front and the Congress are there in the convoy.
Apart from them, many district leaders were also on the list of those who will join the saffron brigade on Saturady afternoon during Shah's grand event.
Of the total nine sitting lawmakers, at least six are from the Trinamool Congress, sources said.
Shah, along with Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)'s national general secretary (in-charge of West Bengal) Kailash Vijayvargiya, national vice-president Mukul Roy and BJP state unit president Dilip Ghosh, had lunch at a farmer's home at Balijuri village.
Some of the names which are likely to switch to the BJP in Bengal are Barackpore's Trinamool MLA Shilbhadra Dutta, North Contai MLA Banashree Maity, Kalna's MLA Biswajit Kundu, East Burdwan legislator Saikat Panja, Dipali Biswas -- an MLA from Gajal, Sukra Munda from Nagrakata and Haldia's Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) MLA Tapasi Mondal, amongst many others.
Sitting Trinamool MP from East Burdwan Sunil Mandal is also likely to join the BJP along with former MP Dasarath Tirke, former minister Shyamaprasad Mukhopadhyay and former MLA Satyen Ray. Trinamool leaders like Rama Prasad Giri, Congress leader Sanmoy Bandopadhyay along with six minority cell leaders are also scheduled to join the BJP in the presence of Shah, sources said.
'Get Rid Of The Extortionist Nephew', Says Suvendu Adhikari
Meanwhile, Suvendu Adhikari launched a scathing attack on Mamata Banerjee-led West Bengal government after joining the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) at a mega public rally in Midnapore. He also attacked Mamata's nephew and Trinamool's Lok Sabha member from Diamond Harbour constituency Abhishek Banerjee dubbing him an "extortionist".
"Now I say tolabaaj bhaipo hatao (Get rid of the extortionist nephew)...I thank my elder brother Amit Shah for accepting me as a primary member of the world's largest political party BJP. I will start working for the party from tomorrow itself," Adhikari declared at the public rally. He said that a "deep rot" has set in the Trinamool Congress.
Adhikari joined the BJP's mega rally in the presence of Union Home Minister Amit Shah. Adhikari joined the podium along with Shah at Midnapore College Ground. He was received by Union minister of state for Woman and Child Development Debasree Choudhuri. The ex-Nandigram legislator was seen sitting by the side of Shah on the dais.
"When I was infected with Covid-19 no one from my old party (Trinamool Congress) called me enquiring about my health. I have worked for that political party for the past 21 long years. But my elder brother Amit Shah ji called me twice asking about my health," Adhikari said.
Adhikari on Thursday resigned from the primary membership of the Trinamool Congress in West Bengal. He had tendered his resignation addressing an official letter to Trinamool supremo Mamata Banerjee. Adhikari also resigned from the state legislative assembly on Wednesday evening. He went to the assembly building and submitted a hand-written letter at the secretariat as speaker Biman Banerjee was not present in his office.
Earlier, Adhikari had tendered his resignation as minister from the Mamata Banerjee-led state cabinet last month, on November 27. He had also left the chairperson's post of the Hooghly River Bridge Commissioner's (HRBC) two days before that.
Ex-Nandigram legislator and formerly a trusted lieutenant of Mamata Banerjee, Adhikari was unhappy with organisational decisions taken by Abhishek Banerjee and political strategist Prashant Kishor in the Trinamool Congress.
"Trinamool Congress will come second in the forthcoming state assembly polls as the BJP will form the government in Bengal in 2021. I feel bad to see that many works we could not do. It is not possible for a person to stay in the Trinamool Congress with self-respect. There is no value of trust in the Trinamool Congress. They are calling us betrayers. I want to say that I have my mother and her name is Gayatri Adhikari. She has given birth to me. And another is my motherland India. If I have to call anybody else my mother I will take the name of my motherland. It is not possible for me to call anyone else my mother," he said.
Hitting out at Mamata Banerjee, he said that the Trinamool Congress has ignored those leaders who built it from scratch and also brought it to power. Adhikari also remembered how he has known the BJP leader for years.
"I welcome Suvendu in the BJP. He has been my long-time party colleague. People of Bengal want to listen to him. BJP will get a new political dimension in Bengal if Suvendu joins the saffron brigade," said Mukul Roy at the mega rally.
Addressing a mammoth gathering at the Midnapore College Ground, Adhikari said that the economic condition of Bengal is in a very bad shape. "If the state has to be salvaged, its reins need to be handed over to the BJP-led government at the Centre under the able leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi ji," he added.
Later he wrote an open letter to TMC workers asking them to join hands & start a new beginning. The letter states, "Our fight is to restore West Bengal to its glory."
He also vowed to oust Mamata Banerjee regime in 2021 assembly elections in West Bengal, exuding confidence that his new party will form next govt.
(With IANS Inputs)