Kolkata: On the occasion of 16th anniversary of Nandigram massacre in which 14 persons were killed in police firing, the leader of opposition in West Bengal Assembly Suvendu Adhikari on Tuesday explained why he decided to quit Trinamool Congress and join BJP in 2020.
Speaking to the media persons while observing Martyrs’ Day programme at Nandigram, from where he is elected BJP legislator now, Adhikari said that the movement at Nandigram since 2007 was a mass movement which was hijacked by Trinamool Congress at a later stage.
“The Nandigram movement was not spearheaded by any particular leader. The credit of the movement goes to the people of Nandigram. Now Trinamool Congress is trying to hijack even the Martyrs’ Day programme. The ruling party using the local administration tried to prevent me from organising and attending this programme. But they could not and the court gave me permission to attend this event,” Adhikari said.
“The ruling party leadership forced on me certain responsibilities which I had to unwillingly accept then. But ultimately on December 19, 2020 I joined BJP since I wanted to pursue a path of independent thinking as an independent person,” he said.
However, Trinamool Congress leadership has rubbished his claims and said that without the able leadership of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, the Nandigram movement could not have taken such a milestone shape.
On Tuesday, Trinamool Congress will also organise its own Martyrs’ Day event at Nandigram, where the police firing on March 14, 2007 is perceived to be one of the most important factors instrumental in the end of the 34-year-old Left Front rule in West Bengal in May 2011.
–IANS