Suvendu Adhikari slams Left, but praises Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee: ‘Was a very honest man’

Even as he reiterated his promise to reopen cases against the Left Front leaders in connection with the 2007 Nandigram land agitation, West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari on Tuesday praised Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee, the then chief minister, calling him “a very honest man”.

Addressing an event at Gokulnagar in Nandigram in Purba Medinipur district to mark the 19th anniversary of police firing that left 11 people dead, the BJP chief minister said, “After November 10, 2007, there was a bloody sunrise. I pay my respects… I will not name him. He has passed away – the then chief minister. Standing at the Writers’ Building, he had said, “They have been paid back in their own coin”. However, the late chief minister was a very honest man in his personal life. The party was bad.”

Adhikari also praised veteran CPI(M) leader Biman Bose. “Bimanbabu is still alive; he is in his eighties. Paying him respect as well. He had said, “A new sun has risen in Nandigram”. Today is November 10. Nineteen years have passed. Even that day, I remained steadfast in my resolve, and I still am today. I am standing firm. And those who tried to stop me are no more,” the chief minister added.

Claiming that the CID investigation into the Nandigram firing incident failed to culminate in a complete judicial process, leaving those responsible unpunished, Adhikari promised again to reopen the cases.

“I have said that fresh FIRs will be filed and cases reopened against those responsible,” Adhikari said, naming CPI(M) leaders Abhay Ghosh of Goghat, Manoranjan Patra of Taldangra, Tapan Ghosh of Garbeta and Himanshu Das of Khejuri, among others.

“They had come from outside, dressed in black, in an organised manner. Action will be taken according to the law,” he added.

Adhikari, who was with the TMC at the time of Nandigram land agitation, said the Trinamool Congress had no role in the Nandigram movement. “It was the people of Nandigram who fought against the then CPI(M) government. They did not get justice. If an FIR is filed, we will reopen the case and take action,” he added.

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Adhikar also attended the Nandigram Martyrs’ Remembrance Programme at Karpalli in Nandigram. The event was organised under the banner of the Bhumi Uchhed Pratirodh Committee, which spearheaded the land agitation.

Addressing the gathering, Adhikari launched a sharp attack on the TMC. “Last year, I had said that I would come here in 2026, but you would not find both the name and symbol of the corrupt TMC. Has my prediction not come true? Now I say the TMC will not return for the next 100 years. Write it down,” he said.

“Trinamool had no role in the Nandigram movement. Bhumi Uchchhed Protirodh Committee (BUPC) had fought against the CPI(M) government,” he said, adding, “Jora Phool (twin flowers) and Ghass Phool (flower on grass) have both been uprooted. You will not see the Trinamool Congress again, not even in the next 100 years.”

PTI adds: Later in the evening, Adhikari visited a Kali Puja organised by Mamata Banerjee’s estranged brother Babun Banerjee. The Kali Puja of Kalighat Sebak Sangha, where he was the guest, is being held just two houses away from the former chief minister’s home. As the chief minister stepped out of his vehicle, Mamata’s younger brother approached him, touched his feet, and welcomed him with a garland. Other members of the family were also present.

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“It felt very good. I told Dada (elder brother) just one thing: you keep moving forward. We are with you,” Babun told reporters after the visit.

The visit assumes significance against the backdrop of the bitter public fallout between Babun and Mamata following the Trinamool Congress’s defeat in the Assembly elections in May. In the aftermath of the electoral setback, Babun had launched a blistering attack on the TMC leadership, blaming senior party functionaries for the defeat and claiming that his sister had disowned him long ago.

Mamata hid info in her poll affidavit, will take legal action: CM

Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari on Tuesday said he is likely to initiate fresh legal proceedings against his predecessor Mamata Banerjee, alleging that she had concealed crucial information in her election affidavits while contesting the 2026 Assembly polls.

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Adhikari also said the role of the returning officer who had accepted Banerjee’s nomination papers despite objections raised during scrutiny would be investigated, opening another legal front in the political confrontation between the two leaders.

“She (Mamata) concealed several important details in her election affidavit. During scrutiny, several candidates had raised objections in this regard. Despite this, the returning officer concerned rejected those objections and cleared her nomination. The discrepancies were not taken into account during scrutiny,” he said.

“I plan to initiate legal proceedings over this. Such things cannot be allowed,” Adhikari told reporters on the sidelines of a programme to pay tribute to those killed in the 2007 Nandigram movement at Gokulnagar in Purba Medinipur district.

Adhikari defeated Banerjee in Nandigram in 2021 and again in Bhabanipur in 2026. In the latter election, he also contested and won from Nandigram before assuming office as chief minister following the BJP’s victory in the state. —ENS, PTI