Rebel Trinamul Congress MLA Suvendu Adhikari on Wednesday stepped down from his role at the Bengal Legislative Assembly, a month after he quit as a state minister.
Adhikari submitted his resignation as an MLA to the Assembly secretary, party sources said.
The 50-year-old, an MLA of Nandigram constituency in Purba Medinipur district, is likely to join the Bharatiya Janata Party, during Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s visit to the state or earlier.
Adhikari is also scheduled to go to Delhi and meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi this week, sources said.
“In Delhi, he (Adhikari) is likely to meet Modiji and Amitji, besides some others in the topmost tier of the BJP leadership. He might join the BJP in Delhi on Friday itself. Or, he might return with Amitji and join in the mega rally of the BJP in Midnapore on Saturday,” a source said on Tuesday, hours after the leader addressed yet another “apolitical” event at Haldia.
“His mind is made up. He cannot stay in Trinamul anymore. There have been generous offers from elsewhere, such as the Congress, but he is going to the BJP,” added the source, pointing out that the Centre had already granted Z cover security to Adhikari.
Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had earlier on Wednesday attacked the BJP over coercing TMC leaders to the party, and labelled the detractors as "opportunists".
“Imagine the audacity of the BJP leaders, they are calling up my state president Subrata Bakshi and asking him to join the party. The BJP doesn't have any political courtesy or ideology. And, there are one or two opportunists who only work for their benefit,” Mamata said.
“The old-timers of the party are our real assets. The BJP is trying to coerce TMC leaders to join. It is using moneybags to break opposition parties... But, we will fight and defeat them in the assembly polls,,” she added.