TMC MP Sisir Adhikari's meet with BJP raises speculation about him attending Amit Shah's Sunday rally

BJP leader Mansukh Mandviya visited Adhikari's residence to invite the veteran politician to Shah's Egra rally and Prime Minister Narendra Modi's March 24 public meeting at Kanthi in Purba Medinipur.

Photo courtesy: ANI

Kolkata: West Bengal Assembly elections are near and the state of West Bengal is experiencing a lot of political tension. Many candidates fro TMC have shifted their base to BJP and in et another jolt to Mamata Banerjee, the senior Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Sisir Adhikari, the father of Suvendu Adhikari who has been pitted by the BJP against Mamata Banerjee, met saffron party leader Mansukh Mandviya on Saturday (March 20), raising speculation about him attending Amit Shah's rally at Egra in Purba Medinipur on Sunday (March 21).

Mandviya visited Adhikari's residence to invite the veteran politician to Shah's Egra rally and Prime Minister Narendra Modi's March 24 public meeting at Kanthi in Purba Medinipur, a top BJP source said.

Confirming the invitation from BJP top brass, Adhikari's son and TMC MP Dibyendu Adhikari told reporters, "We have spoken to the BJP leadership. We will take the final decision about whether to attend or not tomorrow morning."

Dibyendu's elder brother Suvendu Adhikari, the protege-turned political foe of Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee, joined the BJP at a rally of Shah in December last year. His other younger brother Soumendu left TMC to join the BJP shortly afterwards.

West Bengal: BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari's father & TMC MP Sisir Adhikari, and his brother Dibyendu Adhikari, also a TMC MP, will remain present at Union Home Minister Amit Shah's election rally in Egra today.

— ANI (@ANI) March 20, 2021

Septuagenarian Sisir Adhikari had earlier been removed as chairman of the prestigious Digha-Shankarpur Development Council and president of the Trinamool's district unit.

On March 13, BJP MP from Hooghly and the party's assembly poll candidate from Chunchura Locket Chatterjee had visited the Adhikari residence and had lunch with him.

Both sides however did not confirm at that time if Sisir Adhikari and his son Dibyendu will join the BJP and attend Shah and Modi's rally.