State Congress president and Behrampore MP Adhir Chowdhury on Sunday lavished praise on Trinamul leader Suvendu Adhikari and his family, attributing to them a large chunk of the credit for Mamata Banerjee’s rise.

Chowdhury went on to justify their “revolt” — it is being speculated for months that transport minister Suvendu might join the BJP — allegedly over Mamata’s bid to elevate nephew Abhishek.

“Let me state in no uncertain terms that without the Adhikaris, Mamata Banerjee would not have become the chief minister. Suvendu risked his life to conduct the Nandigram movement, which was the key to her rise. When he started that movement, neither was she there nor was her nephew (Abhishek),” said Chowdhury, also the leader of the Congress in the Lok Sabha.

The anti-land acquisition movements in Singur and Nandigram proved pivotal to Mamata’s political career and propelled her to power in 2011.

Suvendu Adhikari File picture

Suvendu, 51, is the state transport minister, one of Trinamul’s tallest leaders and a part of its seven-member apex steering committee. His father Sisir Adhikari is the Contai MP, one of his brothers Dibyendu is the Tamluk MP, and another brother Soumyendu is Contai’s civic chairman.

Chowdhury’s comments added a new dimension to murmurs that Suvendu is likely to join the BJP.

During Amit Shah’s recent Bengal visit, the first question hurled at the Union home minister at a news meet was about Suvendu’s switch to the saffron camp. Shah dodged it.

Chowdhury has in the past attacked Suvendu. But on Sunday, Chowdhury said he felt the urge to speak the truth despite political differences. “When the Nandigram movement was on, I had gone there with relief. I have seen very closely how he led the movement, how much the masses, the poor, the farmers trusted him. I can’t lie about that,” he said. He added he did not know which party Suvendu would join, but “he clearly did not get his due in Trinamul”. “If something like this keeps happening to someone with ability, sooner or later there would be revolt. That revolt would be just,” Chowdhury added.

Rumours over Suvendu’s possible defection to the BJP or forming a separate political party that joins the NDA have been afloat since 2013. Sources close to him attributed it to Mamata singling out Abhishek as her political heir, not Suvendu.

A political observer said Chowdhury was “a known Mamata baiter”. “He may have broached Nandigram and Suvendu’s contribution to embarrass her.”

The transport minister has been silent about this shift of political allegiance, but over the past month or so, many of his remarks, absence from many state government events, and comments on him by the BJP leadership have caused speculation.

Suvendu attended a gathering of party workers in Murshidabad for the first time since his removal as the district observer in July. He was in Khargram for a memorial service for the party’s block president Mafizuddin Mondal, who succumbed to Covid-19.

BJP state unit chief Dilip Ghosh said Trinamul was now like a cabbage: “Leaves keep coming off...eventually, Trinamul will have nobody other than those two (Mamata and Abhishek).”

Additional reporting by Alamgir Hossain