West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee (R) and her one-time close aide Shubhendu Adhikari. file | Photo Credit: PTI
After two years of bitter political exchanges between Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and her one-time close aide Shubhendu AdhikariThe West Bengal Assembly witnessed a rare display of political courtesy on Friday when Ms Banerjee invited the Leader of the Opposition (LoP) to her office for a cup of tea.
Earlier in the day, while participating in the discussion in the House, the Chief Minister referred to Mr. Adhikari and said, “I used to like him”. Later, she said that at one point she loved him like a brother.
The two leaders have been at loggerheads since December 2020, when Mr Adhikari joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) ahead of the 2021 assembly elections in the state, after being a key member of the cabinet run by Ms Banerjee for over nine years . , This was followed by a tough fight between the two leaders in Nandigram, where Mr. Adhikari won by a narrow margin of 1,956 votes. Ever since the Trinamool Congress came to power for the third consecutive term, the state government and the leaders of the opposition have been involved in not only political battles but also several legal battles.
Speaking to media persons after the meeting, Mr Adhikari said it was only a “courtesy call”. The Leader of Opposition, however, said that the Chief Minister had called him alone but took BJP chief whip Manoj Tigga and MLAs Ashok Lahiri and Agnimitra Paul with him to his chamber.
Shri Adhikari expressed hope that the Chief Minister’s goodwill will continue in future also. He raised issues such as the appointment of a BJP MLA as the chairman of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC). The state government has appointed MLA from Raiganj, Krishna Kalyani, who won the assembly elections on a BJP ticket but later joined Trinamool Congress, as PAC chairperson. “She is saying that Krishna Kalyani is officially BJP. They have to stop calling Krishna Kalyani and Biswajit Das (another MLA who joined Trinamool) as BJP MLAs,” he said.
The LoP also said that MLAs and MPs from opposition parties are not invited to administrative meetings chaired by the chief minister.
Participating in the program organized by the state assembly on Constitution Day, the Chief Minister said that the leaders of the opposition should have participated on the occasion.
The meeting between BJP leaders and the Chief Minister assumes significance as it is taking place ahead of Ms. Banerjee’s likely visit to Delhi for a preparatory meeting for the G-20 summit called by the Prime Minister on December 5. Timing is also important as it comes. ahead of rural elections in the state, which has a history of violence.