BJP names Suvendu Adhikari as leader of opposition

Kolkata: BJP’s Nandigram MLA Suvendu Adhikari was elected leader of the party’s legislative wing in a meeting of 52 newly elected legislators on Monday. MLA Manoj Tigga was named for the party chief whip’s post.
BJP national vice-president and first time MLA from Kirshnanagar Uttar Mukul Roy proposed Adhikari’s name. BJP MLAs will now propose Adhikari’s name to Bengal Assembly Speaker Biman Banerjee for the post of leader of the opposition.
Union law minister and BJP central observer Ravi Shankar Prasad announced Adhikari’s name after the meeting at the party’s Hastings office. “Our party’s national vice-president and new MLA Mukul Roy proposed Adhikari’s name. The proposal was seconded by 22 MLAs. I asked if there was an alternative name. No other name came up,” he said.
After the meeting, Adhikari said: “Some MLAs couldn’t attend due to Covid and the extraordinary situation in the state after the declaration of poll results. Our party consulted MLAs representing a cross-section of communities before taking the decision.”
While Adhikari’s selection signalled that there would be no let-up in BJP’s “struggle for democracy” in Bengal, state minder Kailash Vijayvargiya made it loud and clear. “People have assigned our party with the role of the opposition. We will support the state government’s good work but won’t hesitate from taking to the streets if the government takes the old track of corruption and nepotism,” he said.
With the “giant killer” label after his Nandigram victory, and now taking up as the leader of BJP MLAs, assembly seniors cutting across party lines saw little chances of all-party resolutions. They kept their fingers crossed over what was in store, keeping in mind the bipolar representation in the assembly with 213 members from Trinamool, 77 from BJP and one each from Abbas Siddiqui’s Indian Secular Front and Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (Binay Tamang).
Adhikari’s selection may also help the party brass tone down the slanging match between the old guard and the ‘dal badlu’ BJPs that has come to the fore following the polls. A section close to Bengal BJP president Dilip Ghosh had floated two-time BJP MLA Tigga’s name on the ground that he was a “tested member” of the Sangh.
Some leaders like former Bengal BJP president Tathagata Roy also feared there would be an exodus of ‘dal badlu’ leaders after BJP’s defeat and were in two minds about giving the mantle to Adhikari.
This section had a similar opinion on Roy, which could explain why he announced that he was with BJP and would continue with the “struggle for democracy” in Bengal. Roy pulled out of the race after being told that he might have to play a greater role as BJP national vice-president.
Adhikari was ahead in the race on two grounds. He could defeat Mamata Banerjee in Nandigram though TMC won a decisive victory, relegating the BJP to 77 seats. Secondly, Adhikari has enough administrative experience that none of his contenders have. He handled two major departments — transport and environment — as minister (2016-2020) before quitting TMC.