Subhendu slams Mamata Banerjee without taking her name for the first time over outsider issue 

Biswabrata Goswami

Hummingbird News  

HALDIA, 15 DEC: The rebel Trinamul Congress leader, Subhendu Adhikari, today, for the first time slammed Trinamul Congress chief Mamata Banerjee without mentioning her name over the insider-outsider debate and said those coming from other states cannot be branded as outsiders, echoing the views of the saffron party.

In Jalpaiguri, Miss Banerjee has asked voters to create a mandate against the “outsider” BJP, claiming that the party is trying to destroy the state with their “divisive politics”. The Trinamul Congress supremo further said that both BJP and RSS are “not the real Hindus” as they only spread hatred.

“Despite doing so much for the people in North Bengal, we have not won a single seat from North Bengal. Why? How come BJP, who came from outside, won all the seats? What was our fault in the last 10 years? The RSS and BJP are trying to take control over Bengal for their vested interest. They are not the real Hindus. They are not Ramakrishna or Vivekananda as they only spread hatred,” said Banerjee while addressing a public rally in Jalpaiguri district today.

Adhikari, who resigned from the cabinet last month and relinquished two administrative posts, was addressing the birth anniversary celebrations of freedom fighter Satish Chandra Samanta at Haldia in East Midnapore.

Speaking at the gathering, he said, “I am first an Indian and then a Bengali.”

Referring to the insider-outsider debate triggered by the TMC leadership to counter the BJP in the next assembly polls, Adhikari said, Bengal is very much a part of India and “people coming from other states can’t be treated as outsiders.”

“Satish Chandra Samanta was a stalwart parliamentarian from Midnapore. Even the country’s first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru used to respect him a lot. Neither Satish Chandra Samanta ever called Nehru an outsider nor did Nehru ever brand him as a non-Hindi speaking MP. There was mutual respect,” he said.

Samanta had quit Bengal Engineering College as a student to participate in the freedom struggle. His leadership qualities came to the forefront during the formation of a parallel government named Tamralipta Jatiya Sarkar (Tamrlipta National Government) in Tamluk during the Quit India Movement. After Independence, Samanta was a Member of Parliament for over three decades. Hitting out at the TMC leadership, Adhikari said, “Why should there be a “by the party, for the party of the party” rule in Bengal? This is democracy. We need to restore the rules as per the Indian Constitution which states “by the people, of the people and for the people”... I am not greedy for posts. All my life, I have worked for the masses.”

Senior TMC leaders said in private that Adhikari is specifically unhappy with Mamata Banerjee’s nephew Abhishek Banerjee and election strategist Prashant Kishor who was roped in by the chief minister after the BJP won 18 of the state’s 42 Lok Sabha seats in 2019.

While speaking at the rally, Adhikari made significant remarks saying, “Those who insulted me will face the same fate as Anil Basu, Benoy Konar and Laxman Seth when people cast their votes in a few months.” The three CPI-M leaders he mentioned faced electoral defeat and disciplinary action as well.

“One must remember that the land agitation at Nandigram was a people’s movement and not that of an individual or any party,” Adhikari said at the programme.

He also said that those trying to malign him will get a befitting reply in the 2021 assembly polls.

“There are few people who are trying to malign me by saying I had yearned for posts. I want to tell them that they will get a befitting reply in the next assembly polls,” he said without naming anyone.

Adhikari also said, “I have been attacked 11 times recently. I want to tell my critics that I have people with me and these people have come for the connection I have with them.”

He further said that repeated attacks on him won’t deter him from taking a stand.

Meanwhile it is hearsay that Adhikari is all se to join the BJP during Union Home minister Amit Shah’s visit to the poll-bound state later this week.

There were strong rumours that he would switch over to the saffron camp ever since he challenged the TMC leadership last month and peace talks failed to bridge the differences.

“Adhikari will announce himself when he will join the BJP. The TMC and Prashant Kishor will soon witness many more joining the saffron camp because of the policies being followed by the ruling party,” said Kanishka Panda, an Adhikari aide who was expelled from the TMC two days ago. He was the TMC’s general secretary in East Midnapore.