Disgruntled Trinamool Congress leader Suvendu Adhikari continued to keep everyone guessing on whether he would join BJP or not, deciding to keep mum on his next political move at an apolitical rally in East Midnapore.
Adhikari was in Mahishadal to revive a British-era organisation called Tamralipta Janakalyan Samity, of which he has been the president. They were mourning the death of Ranjit Bayal, a freedom fighter who was part of Quit India movement, who died recently. Adhikari had sent invitation to around 5,000 people, but almost 25,000 people attended the programme.
There are speculations that he would float a new party under the same banner. But the more he delays making the decision, the fewer chances to form a party with assembly election approaching.
Adhikari, who recently quit as minister of two important portfolios in Mamata Banerjee’s government, said cryptically that he did not come up in life using a lift, and used any parachute to land somewhere.
“I always used stairs to climb up or down,” he said.
Adhikari is the most popular leader in the party after Mamata Banerjee and was the man behind the Nandigram movement in 2007.
On November 27, he resigned as state transport and irrigation and waterways minister and also quit as the Haldia Development Authority chairman. He also disowned the security cover provided by the state government.
His resignation is largely seen as the fallout of his differences with poll strategist Prashant Kishor and Banerjee’s nephew and party MP Abhishek, who practically runs the party now.
That the relation between Adhikari and the TMC is practically over was evident from Abhishek's apparent dig at the former.
“Even I did not use the lift nor did I drop from a parachute. Had it been the case, I would have held 35 portfolios in this government. Party is like our mother and we will never allow any betrayer to stay,” Abhishek said at Diamond Harbour, his constituency, today.
Adhikari was supposed to reach Delhi yesterday but he decided to cancel the trip. Though many quarters anticipated that discussion between him and the TMC would resume, Abhishek’s remark seems to have put an end to all such hopes.