Leader of the Opposition Suvendu Adhikari on Monday said Trinamul leader Abhishek Banerjee’s meeting with governor C.V. Ananda Bose was an “escape route” to end his ongoing sit-in outside Raj Bhavan.

“I know that (Trinamul) pleaded with the governor and that is why the governor called them for a meeting at 4pm. That is actually an attempt (of the Trinamul) to find an escape route (from the sit-in). His aunt (Mamata Banerjee) had also done the same thing with the then governor Gopal Krishna Gandhi (during the Singur agitation) and her nephew (Abhishek) is just following the same path,” Adhikari told reporters on the sidelines of a party event to distribute relief materials among flood-affected people in Hooghly’s Pursurah.

A BJP leader said Adhikari referred to Mamata’s 25-day hunger strike against the Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee government’s decision to set up Tata’s car factory in Hooghly’s Singur in 2006. The hunger strike was withdrawn following the intervention of the then governor Gopal Krishna Gandhi.

Trinamul hit back at Adhikari’s escape route claim and said the BJP leader was depressed after Abhishek’s successful protest.

“The protest was a march to Raj Bhavan and it was scheduled to continue till the governor listened to our demand. We withdrew the sit-in after the governor assured us to take action within 24 hours,” said Trinamul spokesperson Kunal Ghosh.

Earlier in the day, the BJP leaders warned the Trinamul and the state government that party MLAs would march to Raj Bhavan if the Trinamul’s did not withdraw its sit-in by Monday.

“If the Trinamul did not wrap up its sit-in today (Monday), we will organise a march to Raj Bhavan very soon. Eight organisations of (SSC) job aspirants have sought permission from Calcutta police to hold a protest outside Raj Bhavan. We express solidarity and support their demand,” the BJP’s Nandigram MLA said.