TMC heavyweight Adhikari resigns as Transport Minister

Tribune News Service

Kolkata, November 27

In a blow to the Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress (TMC) government in West Bengal, senior leader Suvendu Adhikari, who has been at odds with the party’s leadership, tendered his resignation as the state’s Transport Minister on Friday amid speculations over his next political move.

In the resignation letter addressed to Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, Adhikari stated: “I thank you for giving me an opportunity to serve the people of the state, which I did all through with a commitment, dedication and sincerity.”

Adhikari said he was forwarding a copy of the resignation letter to the Governor. In a tweet Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar acknowledged receiving the resignation and said he would deal with the matter by following appropriate Constitutional procedure.

That Adhikari was contemplating quitting the Cabinet became clear when he resigned from the post of chairman of the Hooghly River Bridge Commission (HRBC) last evening. Mamata retaliated by immediately replacing him with loyalist MP Kalyan Banerjee as the new chairman of the HRBC.

Adhikari also resigned from the Haldia Development Council, a state government body under the Urban Development Department, on Friday. He was the Water Resources Minister and Irrigation Minister, besides being the Transport Minister.

A well-known face of the Nandigram movement, Adhikari, who has the reputation of being a mass leader, is believed to be unhappy with TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee’s nephew and political heir Abhishek Banerjee.

He has been holding independent political rallies for a while triggering off speculations about his growing differences with the party.