Suvendu Adhikari Says BJP Sure to ‘Wrest’ Nandigram

Hours before filing his nomination, BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari on Friday expressed confidence to win all the 16 assembly seats in the East Midnapore district, inviting the press on May 2 “to have sweets” to celebrate the saffron party’s “victory”. He went on to claim that the ruling TMC “has turned into a private company, where only ‘Didi’ (Mamata Banerjee) and ‘Bhaipo’ (nephew Abhishek) can speak freely”.

Regarding Nandigram seat, Adhikari said, “I don’t believe in individual person and individual seats. Who am I? I am one of the workers like many. Plus, this is not just a constituency, but the centre for development of Bengal. I am working for the BJP as a whole. BJP is winning the Assembly polls.”

On Friday morning, the TMC turncoat went to the local temples and sought blessings before filing his nomination. “This year, many TMC leaders quit and joined the BJP. The reason is that the Trinamool Congress is no longer a people’s party,” he said.

In the context of West Bengal Chief Minister’s injuries during her last Nandigram visit, Adhikari said, “Don’t ask me apolitical questions. If you ask such questions, I won’t reply. I will only respond to political questions. I don’t want to make any comments about the incident.”

Adhikari questioned his former party colleague Abhishek to clarify who deposited lakhs of rupees in a bank account in Thailand and from where such a huge amount of money came.

“It is only the BJP government which can ensure money to those who were cheated by the Saradha company,” he added.

The Nandigram strongman accused CM Banerjee of “not implementing” schemes like PM-Kisan Samman Nidhi and Ayushman Bharat schemes in West Bengal, vowing to clear them in the first cabinet meeting once they will form the government in the state in 2021.

Hitting out at Left-Congress and TMC, Adhikari said, “They accused that we are indulged in appeasement politics. Now you tell me…can you see any ‘sadhu’ (monk) here with me on this dais? But we have seen Abbas Siddiqui sharing the platform with Left-Congress public meetings and Toha Sidduqui speaking in favour of TMC. I would like to ask you, who is doing appeasement politics in Bengal?”

Nandigram is considered as a bastion of the TMC and Banerjee’s announcement to contest from this region is being touted as a challenge to the Adhikari family.

“I would like to announce that I will quit politics if I fail to ensure Mamata’s defeat by 50,000 votes,” Adhikari had retorted to Banerjee.

Meanwhile, TMC MP Sisir Kumar Adhikari claimed that his son is certainly going to win the Nandigram seat. “He (Suvendu) is my son and I have to support him. He is a matured politician and my blessings are with him. Mamata Banerjee will not get favourable results from Nandigram,” he said.

“It is true that I have a long association with Mamata Banerjee but here I have to support my son Suvendu. I have not spoken to him in two days. He is busy campaigning. Being his father, I have to support him politically,” he said.

Whether he will meet injured Mamata in hospital or not, Sisir Adhikari said, “Not possible to meet her. I will not meet her because politics in Bengal is different from other states. People here will start speculating unnecessary things.”

“Today I have come here to bring true ‘parivartan’ in Nandigram. In TMC, party workers have no dignity left,” he said.

“People have benefitted from Ayushman Bharat but Bengal doesn’t have this scheme. Farmers of Bengal are deprived of central government’s schemes. ‘Swasthya Saathi’ scheme has not helped anyone. We bring a double engine government. If the same party is not in Centre and state, then there can be no development in Bengal. PM Modi believes in ‘sabka saath sabka vikas’. People duped by chit fund companies in the state would get back their money if the BJP is voted to power,” he said.

“We are going to defeat the TMC this time,” he added.