Kolkata: As Trinamool Congress rebel Suvendu Adhikari quietly prepared for his first political rally since resigning from the Mamata Banerjee cabinet, almost the entire party machinery got cracking to arrange a December 7 roadshow planned by the CM in his pocket borough Midnapore. Mamata's primary objective is to quickly quarantine her party ranks from the "rebel" bug as she focuses on taking on BJP and CPM in the battle for the Bengal assembly, sources said.
The flurry of activity in the Trinamool camp included party seniors meeting representatives of West Midnapore, Malda and Murshidabad ahead of the CM’s meet with the party's district heads on December 4. While TMC described the meetings as "routine", the buzz was that the party has been shaken and stirred by Adhikari's resignation as transport and irrigation minister, although he remains a Trinamool member for now. All three districts where TMC is trying to set its house in order are those where Adhikari was the party observer.
Trinamool state president and MP Subrata Bakshi was in Midnapore to take stock and oversee arrangements for the CM’s rally. Bakshi and other TMC seniors – Manas Bhunia, minister Soumen Mahapatra and district president Ajit Maity – didn’t utter a word against Adhikari, who is being wooed by BJP and cheered by Congress. At least four senior Adhikari loyalists from Midnapore were conspicuous by their absence at the meetings.
Trinamool MP Abhishek Banerjee held talks with the party’s Malda district leadership at his south Kolkata office. Minister and TMC Mahila unit president Chandrima Bhattacharya presided over a meeting of the women’s wing in Murshidabad to reassure the ranks that the party would retain power in 2021. "Our CM has done a lot for women. She has been doing it throughout the year and not just ahead of polls," she said.
At Mahishadal in Nandigram, decorators were busy giving finishing touches to the dais from which Adhikari will address a crowd. None of his aides was seen around the venue. There wasn't any instruction either from the former minister to mobilise people. Yet, 20,000 chairs were being arranged in front of the dais.
Sources said Adhikari wouldn’t use the Mahishadal platform for political ends. But the elaborate arrangements suggested he will make a point with a big turnout.
Earlier, in what could be a blow to Trinamool Congress ahead of next year's Assembly poll, senior minister Suvendu Adhikari has resigned from his post. The resignation letter to Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee was submitted last week and a copy sent to Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar.
Adhikari has quit as minister for transport and irrigation, but remains a Trinamool MLA as he has not resigned from the Assembly. His resignation is being widely seen as a precursor for his exit from the party; Bengal BJP chief Dilip Ghosh said that Adhikari is "welcome to join".
The Nandigram MLA, who was seen taking money on the Narada sting operation tapes and has been named in a money laundering case filed by the Enforcement Directorate, has made no secret of his discontent within the Trinamool for the past months.
