Bengal Transport Minister, Suvendu Adhikari on Friday quit Mamata Banerjee’s cabinet, surrendered his Z-category security and left his government space which signalled in ending ties with the Trinamul Congress Party. In Adhikari’s resignation letter, he requested for “immediate acceptance” of his resignation. He said, “I thank you for giving me opportunity to serve the people of the State, which I did all through with commitment, dedication and sincerity. Despite of quitting the Minister’s post, Mr. Adhikari remains a member of the Lok Sabha, and he hasn’t resigned from the party yet.
The day before his immediate resignation, Adhikari had also resigned from the post of chairperson of the Hooghly River Bridge Commission (HRBC). The 49 year old TMC leader, who has his very own support base and played a critical part in the forcible land obtained at Nandigram. He held several rallies in the past couple of months, at his own capacity without TMC’s support. The posters of him were seen in almost every district of the State, which included Darjeeling and Kalimpong.
West Bengal’s BJP President Dilip Ghosh said Adhikari had given quite a few hints about quitting and his resignation confirmed it was only a matter of time.
“Our doors are open for him. Senior leaders like Mukul Roy have come and are working with us,” he said. He also described this situation as the development of “beginning of the end of the Trinamool Congress”.