Soumendu Adhikari, the brother of BJP leader Suvendhu Adhikari, on Thursday, filed a petition before the Calcutta High Court challenging his removal from the post of administrator of Contai Municipality in Purba Medinipur district.
According to the reports, Soumendu Adhikari in his petition has said that he was illegally removed by the West Bengal government’s Municipal Affairs Department from the post of administrator of the civic body.
Challenging his removal in HC, Soumendu in his petition said, “I was removed without any chance of self-defence. Thus it violated the principle of natural justice, for which I moved the HC. I wrote to the DM and SDO, but did not get any reply.”
He added, “I got the removal order on Wednesday. On Thursday afternoon, I came to know that a gazette notification was issued by the state government.”
Soumendu Adhikari was removed the post of administrator
A week after Suvendu Adhikari joined BJP, Mamata Banerjee-led government in West Bengal removed his brother Soumendu Adhikari from the post of Chairperson of Contai Municipality and replaced him with Siddhartha Maity. The decision was taken by Urban Development & Municipal Affairs ministry led by Firhad Hakim, who is a close aide of CM Mamata.
Adhikari was the chairman of Contai Municipality till the term of the board expired in 2019. He was then appointed as its administrator since elections were postponed owing to the COVID-19 pandemic situation.
It is being reported that Soumendu may follow his brother Suvendhu and join BJP in the coming days. It is interesting to note that just a few fays ago, TMC MP and Mamata Banerjee’s nephew Abhishek Banerjee had taunted Suvendu for failing to shift his father and brothers from TMC to BJP. Suvendu Adhikari’s father and Kanthi MP Sisir Kumar Adhikari, his brother and Tamluk MP Dibyendu Adhikari, and Soumendu Adhikari are still leaders of TMC. However, now Soumendu leave TMC and join BJP following his brother Suvendu.
Suvendu Adhikari quits TMC, joins BJP
On December 17, Suvendu Adhikari formally quit the Trinamool Congress and joined BJP in presence of Home Minister Amit Shah. Addressing his followers, Suvendhu Adhikari had written a letter blaming Mamata Banerjee for sidelining the party leaders and alleged that Mamata has betrayed the party ideals.
In his letter, he had said that a “deep rot and malaise” has set in the party, and asserted that “individuals in charge of the party currently are treating it as their personal fiefdom.