Trinamool’s new tactic: do what BJP does to score in West Bengal politics

The Trinamool Congress seems to have adopted a tactic from the state Bharatiya Janata Party’s book of strategy in West Bengal politics. The ruling party held protests on Monday against Suvendu Adhikari, BJP MLA and the Leader of the Opposition in the State Assembly, demanding his arrest for his alleged involvement in “corrupt” activities.

So far, BJP leaders were the ones staging protests and demanding action against the TMC leaders that were accused of various infractions. Adhikari has been at the forefront of the occasional agitations organised by the BJP in the state.

On Monday, Trinamool leaders, including Babul Supriyo—a former BJP minister at the Centre who is now a Trinamool MLA—participated in a protest outside CGO Complex that houses the office of Central Bureau of Investigation. Protest rallies, with similar agenda, were also organised in Haldia and Contai regions in south Bengal, where Adhikari enjoys substantial political influence.

An eight-member TMC delegation led by state education minister Bratya Basu would be meeting Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar on Tuesday to demand action against Adhikari.

This comes as a direct juxtaposition of the various occasions where Adhikari was seen approaching the governor to demand action against the ruling party.

On June 21, a delegation of BJP MLAs, led by Adhikari, met the governor and submitted a representation. Governor Dhankhar, too, had on several occasions flagged flaws in the administrative machinery.

Taking a page out of BJP’s book of strategy, the TMC led a procession to the Governor’s House. “(The) Governor will meet (an) eight member delegation at Raj Bhawan on June 28 at 11:30 am as requested by the ruling party in the state. No particular issue has been flagged in the request,” the official Twitter account of Governor Dhankhar announced on Saturday.