Trinamul Congress leaders, including Bengal minister Firhad Hakim and MP Saugata Roy, led a rally of 20,000 people in East Midnapore’s Contai on Wednesday to assert the party’s influence on the turf of Suvendu Adhikari who had switched over to the BJP last week.
The Adhikari trio — MPs Sisir and Dibyendu and Contai municipality administrator Soumendu — have made no public steps to back brother Suvendu, but they were absent from Wednesday’s march.
In his address, Hakim made no bones of the fact that the rally had been called to take on Suvendu and showcase the strength of Trinamul.
Hakim, making an obvious reference to Suvendu, said: “We are happy that he left. I am ashamed to have ever worked by his side.”
Appealing to the agrarian sentiment of the local community, Hakim claimed Suvendu had “betrayed farmers whom he once stood up for and joined the traitors”.
Suvendu is slated to hold a rally here on Thursday.
Echoing Hakim’s sentiments, Saugata Roy said the people of Nandigram wouldn’t forgive Suvendu.
“Suvendu is suddenly coming up with grievances against (MP) Abhishek Banerjee, but he said no such thing in a recent joint meeting with I-PAC chief Prashant Kishor,” added Roy.
Local Trinamul leaders present at the rally also affirmed the Nandigram narrative being raised by Trinamul. Party leader and land agitator Sheikh Sufian said: “Mamata Banerjee did all the hard work, and not Suvendu as is popularly believed.”
“Even if his relatives leave, it will be like drops being taken out of an ocean,” Sufian added.
Sources close to Sisir said the family patriarch had been suffering from a foot injury since December 7 and had been “compelled” to stay home, allaying rumours about the rift with the ruling party.
Although Trinamul tried to portray a united front at Wednesday rally, a scuffle erupted at the venue and it left the party leaders worried about the possible impact of factionalism on the upcoming Assembly polls.
Supporters of Trinamul leader Tarun Jana and Contai coordinator of the party Akhil Giri quarrelled over the speakers not naming the former in their address.
A senior Trinamul leader, however, said the matter had been resolved with the intervention of Giri.
