Leader of the Opposition Suvendu Adhikari’s oft-repeated “threat” of a significant political development in Bengal in December turned out to be a disappointment for supporters of the saffron camp as he on Monday shifted the deadline by a month.
At a rally in Hazra here, Adhikari asked supporters to expect something to happen after January 13, instead of his earlier “December 12”.
“Why did I say December 12? The coal scam case was to be heard on this date. Because of some technical reason, the Supreme Court postponed it to January 13. I’m respectful toward the court.... December 12 may have been postponed to January 13. But January 13 will never be February 14,” he said in the presence of Bengal BJP chief Sukanta Majumdar and others.
Monday’s rally was pitched as a challenge to Trinamul chief Mamata Banerjee and held near her home. BJP leaders said that footfall was around 10,000.
Adhikari had hoped, sources close to him said, that the apex court would not extend legal immunity to Trinamul MP Abhishek Banerjee — who according to the BJP is the biggest beneficiary in the coal scam — when it heard the case on December 12. The court postponed the hearing by a month.
Central forces plea
Adhikari on Monday filed a PIL before Calcutta High Court, seeking an order for the state election commission to deploy adequate central force personnel for violence-free panchayat polls.
