Kolkata, Dec 3 Relying on Suvendu Adhikari, the current leader of opposition in West Bengal Assembly, for long during his earlier stint with Trinamool Congress was a mistake on behalf of the party leadership, Trinamool Congress' national General Secretary and Lok Sabha MP Abhishek Banerjee admitted on Saturday.
"As the party's General Secretary, I admit that it was a mistake to rely on a traitor like him (Adhikari) and I also apologise for that. Taking that advantage, he had betrayed the common people. The mistake of our supreme leader Mamata Banerjee was that she blindly trusted the traitor and his family members," Abhishek Banerjee said while addressing a party rally at Kanthi in East Midnapore district.
The venue of the rally was very close to Adhikari's ancestral residence.
He said by taking advantage of the faith party bestowed on him, Adhikari and his family members indulged in massive corruption before joining the BJP like a 'traitor' to save his skin after his name got involved in scams like Saradha chit funds and Narada video tapes.
Abhishek Banerjee also referred to the rich legacy of icons and freedom fighters from the erstwhile undivided Midnapore district, such as Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar, Matangini Hazra and Khudiram Basu, among others.
"Their life history is an example of the rich legacy of Midnapore. But here is a son of East Midnapore who acted like a traitor by bowing down to the BJP. So, the movement to free East Midnapore district from that traitor will start from this month only," the Trinamool leader said.
Abhishek Banerjee also threw an open challenge to Suvendu Adhikari to face him in an open dais in East Midnapore.
"Today is December 3. I am giving 15 days time, let there be another meeting at this venue. You (Adhikari) also come to attend the meeting and face an open debate. If I cannot strip you, I will leave politics," Abhishek Banerjee said.
Reacting to the trinamool leader's comments, Suvendu Adhikari said that Abhishek Banerjee has spoken as per to his culture and education level and hence he doesn't feel the necessity to react.
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