Trinamul Congress turncoat Suvendu Adhikari on Tuesday said the BJP had helped his old party in its journey since its birth in 1998 and credited the saffron party for its role in the Nandigram movement that catapulted Mamata Banerjee to power in 2011.

“In past three days, many people are calling me a betrayer, a Mirzafar. Who were with Trinamul since 1998, in Assembly polls, panchayat polls and the Lok Sabha polls in 1999? If the then Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and BJP leader L.K. Advani had not helped Trinamul, the party would have wound up before 2001,” Suvendu told around 5,000 BJP workers at a rally in East Burdwan’s Purbasthali.

He also reminded Mamata Banerjee that she broke her fast on the Singur issue when BJP leader Rajnath Singh handed her a glass of juice.

“I will tell the netri (Mamata), that she could have become chief minister in 2001 if she had the power to achieve it on her own strength,” he said.

Trinamul MP Sougata Roy said: “In 1998, Trinamul had an alliance with the BJP but then the Gujarat riot happened. He is attacking Trinamul after being a two term MP and enjoying all the benefits.”