Nearly a month after political heavyweight Suvendu Adhikari quit the TMC and joined the BJP, his father and Bengal’s ruling party MP Sisir Adhikari was on Tuesday removed from the post of chairman of Digha Shankarpur Development Authority (DSDA). TMC MLA Akhil Giri, known to be a detractor of Suvendu and his family, replaced Sishir Adhikari as the chief of DSDA — which is responsible for the upkeep and maintenance of the beach town in Purba Medinipur.
“He did not do anything as the chairman of the DSDA and was hence removed,” Giri said. Currently, Adhikari is the district president of the ruling party in Purba Medinipur.
TMC spokesperson Kunal Ghosh said that the legislator was “not being able to perform as the chairman of the agency”. “Sisir-da is a veteran leader. Maybe, he was unwell.
But we were pained when he did not utter any word against his sons Suvendu and Soumendu who had been constantly attacking the TMC after switching over to the BJP,” Ghosh said. Senior TMC leader and minister Firhad Hakim, however, claimed that the moment Adhikari senior “recovers from his ailments”, he would be reappointed as chairman of DSDA.
The 80-year-old TMC MLA, however, remained unfazed about the development. “They can do whatever they want. I am not bothered.
This is a blatant display of power,” he said. According to sources, Adhikari had informed his close associates that he was unhappy with the way party leaders have been attacking his family.
Suvendu crossed over to the BJP in December, and later helped his brother Soumendu switch sides, after he was removed as the administrator of Kanthi Municipality. His younger brother Dibyendu Adhikari is an MP from Tamluk Lok Sabha seat. “Those who have removed him will be thrown out of power in the next assembly polls,” Suvendu said following his father’s removal as DSDA chairman.
BJP national vice president Mukul Roy said the octogenarian can join the saffron camp if he wishes to. “Suvendu and Soumendu have already joined the BJP. It is one family after all. We are hopeful that Sisir Adhikari will also join us. He is a veteran leader,” Roy added.
The influential political family gave Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s rally in their stronghold West Medinipur district last month a miss, prompting her to accuse the BJP of trying to break her party with the help of “moneybags”. The Adhikari family wields considerable influence in at least 40-45 assembly segments in West Medinipur, Bankura, Purulia, Jhargram, parts of Birbhum — mainly in the Junglemahal region — and areas in minority-dominated Murshidabad district.
Elections to 294-member assembly are likely to be held in April-May.
.
Read all the Latest News, Breaking News and Coronavirus News here
Comments
0 comment