Kolkata: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Suvendu Adhikari asserted that he will defeat West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee in the state assembly election or quit politics. The remark came hours after CM Mamata sprang a surprise and declared she will contest the West Bengal assembly election from Nandigram, the seat held by political heavyweight Adhikari.
"Let Mamata Banerjee contest from Nandigram. Whoever contests from BJP, but I am giving it in writing, if I fail to defeat Mamata Banerjee by 50,000 votes, I will quit politics," stated Adhikari, the former Trinamool Congress leader. He further added, "She goes to Nandigram once in five years. She visits only during elections. On December 15, 2015, she visited Nandigram, she had announced my name as the candidate. I want to ask you? What have you done for the people of Nandigram? Those who were suffering, what have you done for them? Class 8 book mentions Singur but the mass killing of Nandigram finds no mention in books."
The TMC turncoat, however, said the final decision to field candidates will be taken by the BJP leadership after thorough discussion and not in an arbitrary way like in the ruling TMC. "If I am fielded by my party from Nandigram, I will defeat her by a margin of at least 50,000 votes or I will quit politics," he asserted.
Adhikari, however, said unlike the TMC, which is run "autocratically" by Mamata and her nephew Abhishek, in BJP the candidates have decided after discussion and it was for the party to take a call on his candidature. "I don't know from where I will be fielded, whether I will be fielded," he said, addressing BJP workers after a three-km roadshow.
Earlier, while addressing a rally at the assembly constituency, Mamata expressed her desire to contest the election from Nandigram seat. Taking a dig at Suvendu Adhikari, Mamata said it was "good some people have left the party. Some are moving from here to there. They will be fought by our local leaders, don't worry, these guys were not there when the Trinamool Congress was formed. It is good some people have left," she said.
Expressing her support for farmers she said the BJP wants to rob the farmers. "Nandigram showed the way, today farmers in Punjab are agitating [against the farm laws]. We are with the farmers...BJP must withdraw the three farm laws," she said.
