Kolkata:
West Bengal Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari has postponed producing evidence on his claims about Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee calling Amit Shah after her party, the Trinamool Congress, lost its national party status. Mr Adhikari said that he will provide evidence on Friday.
At a rally in Singur, Suvendu Adhikari had claimed that Mamata Banerjee had called Union Home Minister Amit Shah several times requesting her party’s national status be retained. Yesterday, Mamata Banerjee had vowed to step down if Mr Adhikari’s claims were proved correct.
Speaking to reporters at a press conference where he was expected to provide the evidence, he referred to the West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and said, “You will not be able to do anything to me. You have made tall claims about the phone calls … Last evening, on behalf of your party, one of your workers on your orders sent this notice to me. I welcome it. I will answer tomorrow. I will share it with the media and post it from social media handles. You will receive the answers.”
After Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had said that she would resign if Mr Adhikari could prove his claims, the Leader of Opposition had tweeted, “I’ll expose you in due time. Wait for my befitting reply tomorrow.”
Mr Adhikari challenged Ms Banerjee to file a case and said that he would file one in return.
“You have called the Union Home Minister a goonda. You have to prove this … If you file a case, the TRAI under the Government of India, will be made a party, and both your landline phone call records between 12th March and 4th April will have to be produced in court and everything will be clear. I accept your challenge. Please accept my challenge also,” he said.
Trinamool Congress National General Secretary Abhishek Banerjee came down heavily on Mr Adhikari saying he was lowering standards of discourse with his personal attacks on the Chief Minister and had nothing constructive to offer.
“He must have made 1,000 accusations from these meetings, but he has not been able to prove even one of these allegations. Not one … The Chief Minister has said she will resign if you can prove your case. Who is stopping you?” he asked.
