There was much ado about a couple of phone calls from Nabanna (Bengal State secretariat) to North Block. Fierce war of words continued in rural-polls-bound Bengal even as State Opposition Leader Suvendu Adhikari on Thursday vowed to quit politics if he failed to dethrone Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.
Referring to a legal notice from the Chief Minister seeking his apology for telling a public rally at Singur as to how Banerjee had publicly foul-mouthed the Home Minister but telephonically solicited his help to get the Trinamool Congress’ “national party” status restored the BJP leader said, “I have received a legal notice to prove my claim … But I in turn challenge her to move the Court and then I will make TRAI and BSNL a party to the suit so that I can get her call details produced in the court … this will prove whether she had called the Home Minister up — from her two landlines - between March 4 and April 12 or not.” His avowal came a day after the Chief Minister offered to quit her chair if Adhikari could prove his claim of Banerjee calling up the Home Minister to help Election Commission of India’s order derecognizing the TMC as a national party repealed. He also attacked the Chief Minister for using bad words against the Home Minister. Adhikari who earlier called the Chief Minister the “queen bee of the corruption beehive” said that the Chief Minister had no right to demand the Home Minister’s resignation for his speeches from public rallies.
He was referring to Mamata Banerjee’s remarks wondering how Shah being a holder of a constitutional post could talk of toppling a democratically elected State government. “The Home Minister had said in a rally at Birbhum that if the BJP could get 35 out of 42 parliamentary seats at the hustings then my government in Bengal will not last its full term till 2026 … it will fall way before that,” Banerjee had said referring to Shah’s Birbhum rally speech last week. “How can a Home Minister who holds a constitutional post can talk of toppling a democratically elected government … I demand his resignation for making such unconstitutional remarks,” Banerjee said on Monday. Adhikari on Thursday hit Banerjee back saying, “He has no right to
attack the Home Minister who was addressing a public rally and not using his office premises as she has often been doing to make political statements.” And then he added, “I had challenged her and defeated her in the Assembly polls from Nandigram seat … Now I promise to make her a former Chief Minister … if I cannot dethrone her I will quit politics.” He challenged her to move the Court against him. “I challenge her to move the Court as I still stick to my assertion that she had indeed called up the Home Minister between March 4 and April 12 … Let her move the Court … incidentally she should not forget that there are proceedings pending in Assam and Maharashtra … if those proceedings are pursued then she would be in trouble,” Adhikari said.
TMC general secretary Abhishek Banerjee promptly reacted to his statement saying his party would indeed move the Court. “We will make him suffer in court … if he does not apologies for his lies he will face the consequence … we will definitely take him to the court and no Bench no Judge will save him,” he said.