Trinamool Congress’ sigh of relief in the wake of a “fruitful” secret dialogue with rebel party leader Suvendu Adhikari was short lived as the former Minister on Wednesday said it was impossible for him to work with the ruling outfit in the current circumstances.
The leader with a formidable mass base is known to have WhatsApped his mind to senior MP and Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s special emissary Saugato Roy with whom peace talks were on for the past fortnight or so.
Sources close to the Adhikari considered the most powerful leader in the party after Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said that he did not like the way the details of his talks with the senior leadership was communicated to the media earlier.
A secret meeting featuring Adhikari, Roy, his Lok Sabha colleagues Sudip Bandopadhyay, Abhishek Banerjee and election strategist Prashant Kishore was held at a private residence in North Kolkata late on Tuesday evening following which Roy said that talks were held in a cordial atmosphere, things had been sorted out.
“Suvendu Adhikari is not going to BJP. It was a foolish assumption. Today Prashant Kishore, Sudip Banerjee, Abhishek Banerjee and I had met him. It was a fruitful meeting and things have been sorted out. He is with TMC and we will work together to make Mamata Banerjee win again,” Roy said.
However, TMC’s euphoria remained short lived as its East Midnapore satrap and a former Nandigram spearhead of the Chief Minister communicated to Roy via Whattsapp that it was not possible for him to continue in the present circumstances.
Roy who is being investigated by the central agencies in Narada pay off and chit fund cases had expressed his displeasure after Abhishek Banerjee was given more preference in internal matters including organizational schemes than him, insiders said.
Reacting to newest development in the TMC. BJP observer for Bengal Kailash Vijaybargiya said that the decision the former minister had taken was a foregone conclusion. “This was bound to happen as no one can live in the TMC with self-respect … not in the least a big leader like Suvendu Adhikari… He is bound to leave that party and he is welcome in the BJP if he chooses to do so.”
Bengal BJP president Dilip Ghosh said “Our doors are open for any able, leader who has good track record and honest background.”
Adhikari however has not made his intention clear. Playing the card close to his chest he has not yet made it clear whether he would join the BJP in near future.
Meanwhile, the BJP workers attacked a TMC party office at Nandigram captured it soon after Adhikari’s decision of not returning to the TMC fold was made public, sources said. A fierce turf war had ensued in that zone with the TMC retaliating by taking out a motorbike rally and vandalising some shops in the area.