Bengal polls: TMC MP Sisir Adhikari likely to attend Amit Shah’s Egra rally

Veteran Trinamool Congress MP Sisir Adhikari, the father of Suvendu Adhikari who has been pitted by the BJP against Mamata Banerjee, met saffron party leader Mansukh Mandviya on Saturday, raising speculation about him attending Amit Shah’s rally at Egra in Purba Medinipur on Sunday. Mandviya visited Adhikari’s residence to invite the veteran politician to Shah’s Egra rally and Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s March 24 public meeting at Kanthi in Purba Medinipur, a top BJP source said.

Confirming the invitation from BJP top brass, Adhikari’s son and TMC MP Dibyendu Adhikari told reporters, “We have spoken to the BJP leadership. We will take the final decision about whether to attend or not tomorrow morning.”

Dibyendu’s elder brother Suvendu Adhikari, the protege-turned political foe of Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee, joined the BJP at a rally of Shah in December last year. His other younger brother Soumendu left TMC to join the BJP shortly afterwards.

Septuagenarian Sisir Adhikari had earlier been removed as chairman of the prestigious Digha-Shankarpur Development Council and president of the Trinamool’s district unit.

On March 13, BJP MP from Hooghly and the party’s assembly poll candidate from Chunchura Locket Chatterjee had visited the Adhikari residence and had lunch with him.

Both sides however did not confirm at that time if Sisir Adhikari and his son Dibyendu will join the BJP and attend Shah and Modi’s rally.

(With PTI inputs)