Devout Hindus in UP will reject Mamata Banerjee: Suvendu Adhikari

A day after Samajwadi Party annoumced that Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee will campaign for it jointly with party president Akhilesh Yadav for the February-March Uttar Pradesh Assembly poll,

West Bengal Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari claimed that she will be rejected by devout Hindus in the politically important state.

The "santan Hindu community" in Uttar Pradesh, specially in places like Mathura, Brindavan and Varanasi will reject Banerjee "due to her appeasement politics for one community in Bengal" and disallowing immersion of Durga idols in the past as the Puja had coincided with Muharram, he said playing the Hindutva card as in the campaign for the Bengal poll.

"Her campaign in UP will do more harm than good for SP," he said.

The Nandigram legislator said, "Her presence will be counterproductive as brutality in post-poll violence in Bengal against political opponents has shaken the conscience of the nation and made the common man antagonistic to Trinamool Congress."

Reacting to Adhikari's statement, TMC state spokesman Kunal Ghosh said, "Whatever Suvendu has become today, in his political career and as a former minister and ex-MP he owes it to Mamata Banerjee but he doesn't have the minimum gratitude".

Adhikari had been a protege of Banerjee and a part of the Nandigram movement by TMC. He had defected to BJP months before the state poll and had defeated the TMC supremo.

Ghosh claimed that Banerjee enjoys popularity and acceptability across the country especially after TMC's landslide victory n the last Bengal Assembly poll. "BJP's star campaigner Yogi Adityanath had on the other hand addressed several sparsely attended meetings during the Bengal polls as he has no standing among its people".

TMC will not contest in Uttar Pradesh and will support Samajwadi Party in the fight against the BJP, senior SP leader Kiranmoy Nanda had said on Tuesday after meeting Banerjee at her residence.

Describing Banerjee as one of the most prominent anti-BJP faces in the country, he said the TMC supremo will visit Varanasi in February but the date is yet to be fixed.

To a question about the hearing of the case relating to Mukul Roy's continuation as PAC chairman, Adhikari said "We are waiting for the Supreme Court verdict in the case".

The apex court was moved in connection with the case.

BJP had moved the speaker's office in July 2021 contending that Roy, who had joined TMC after winning on BJP ticket from Krishnanagar Dakshin assembly seat, cannot occupy the PAC chairman's post as it is traditionally given to a senior opposition MLA in the house.

Responding to the BJP leader's comments, Ghosh said "Adhikari should first explain why his father Sisir Adhikari is not stepping down as MP despite being elected on TMC ticket in 2019. He should not continue as TMC MP after pledging his support to Amit Shah in 2021 January in a public rally.

"Why is Suvendu silent on this?" he asked.