Shubhendu Adhikari. file. , Photo Credit: PTI
Leader of the Opposition in the West Bengal Assembly Shubhendu Adhikari on Saturday said that all is not bad in the Left parties and many Left supporters had voted for them in the 2021 Assembly polls.
Interestingly, the praise of the Left parties by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA comes on a day when Mr. Adhikari held a public meeting to mourn the death of 14 people during protests against the proposed chemical hub in 2007. Mr. Adhikari was with the Trinamool Congress in 2007 and was also a key figure in the fight against forcible land acquisition in 2007 during the Left Front government.
“The Left Front was now much more powerful than the Trinamool, they had 235 seats (in the state assembly),” Mr. Adhikari said at the public meeting. He insisted that many Left supporters are with him. This is not the first time that the BJP leader has tried to reach out to the supporters of the Left parties.
The BJP MLA’s remarks come at a time when state Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is alleging a nexus between “Ram and Bomb”. The leaders of the Left parties distanced themselves from this comment and said that we do not want any certificate from Mr. Adhikari.
“Mr. Adhikari was a top Trinamool leader who has joined the BJP. CPI(M) leader Sujan Chakraborty said that the Left parties do not need his certificate. Mr. Chakraborty also said that when BJP and Trinamool leaders wave Left flags flying high then they are trying to grab the leftist supporters.
Reacting to Adhikari’s remarks, Trinamool Congress spokesperson Kunal Ghosh said CPI(M) goons have now joined the BJP. Mr Ghosh said, “Suvendu Adhikari has done great harm by joining hands with the people of Nandigram, who were behind the armed atrocities on the peaceful protestors of the land grab.”
Meanwhile, the Trinamool and the BJP engaged in a heated exchange of words over the observance of ‘Martyrs’ Day’ in Nandigram. Responding to Mr. Ghosh’s remarks, Mr. Adhikari said, “Some people who had no role in the anti-land acquisition movement are now making headlines and giving speeches.”