Amit Shah To Make Inroads In Mamata's Turf, Troubles Mount For Didi As Another TMC Leader Resigns| 10 Points

After Suvendu Adhikari and Jitendra Tiwari's resignation, another TMC leader Shilbhadra Dutta has quit TMC today. Amit Shah will reach West Bengal to bolster BJP's campaign ahead of the 2021 elections.

New Delhi: Union Home Minister Amit Shah will begin his two-day visit to the poll-bound state on Saturday. He is likely to hold roadshows, attend public rallies, and visit temples. Speculations are rife that he may also induct former TMC Leader Suvendu Adhikari and the induction ceremony is likely to be held in Midnapore, Adhikari's home turf, where Amit Shah would hold a rally on Saturday afternoon. The roadshow in Birbhum has been scheduled for Sunday, hours after his visit to the Visva Bharati University -- established in 1921 by Rabindranath Tagore. On both days, Shah would be visiting nearby temples and lunch with the locals. On Saturday, he would be visiting a farmer's household. Sunday lunch will be held at the home of Baul singer -- the wandering minstrels of the state. While BJP's entire focus is on bolstering the party's campaign for the Bengal 2021 elections, the mood is heightened in the corridors of power in Kolkata. The ruling Trinamool Congress, in wake of a resurgent Bharatiya Janata Party, is leaving no stone unturned to take the fight to the rival’s camp.

These are the top developments :

• Suvendu Adhikari has resigned from the primary membership of the Trinamool Congress. Adhikari is likely to join the BJP in Amit Shah's rally this Saturday in West Bengal.

Adhikari was the face of the Nandigram movement that added to the political heft of Mamata Banerjee and catapulted her to power in Bengal in 2011. He sent his resignation letter to Mamata Banerjee in the afternoon. Speculations are rife that he may join the BJP on Saturday during an event that will he attended by Union home minister Amit Shah.

• After Adhikari's resignation, two more TMC leaders announced their departure from the Trinamool Congress. Chairman of South Bengal State Transport Corporation (SBSTC) Colonel (Retired) Diptangshu Choudhary tendered his resignation to Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, while party leader Jitendra Tiwari resigned from the post of Chairman, Board of Administrators, Asansol Municipal Corporation.

Jitendra Tiwari, the TMC's Paschim Bardhaman district president, also lauded Suvendu Adhikari as the second-most important leader of the party after Mamata Banerjee. "I have resigned from the post of the chairman of the Board of Administrators of Asansol Municipal Corporation. If I am not allowed to work, what will I do with the post? So, I have resigned," he said.

• While reports suggest that Jitendra Tiwari will also be inducted in the saffron party, BJP leader Babul Supriyo is not happy with the decision. Supriyo shared a video on his social media handle claiming that BJP won't accept Jitendra Tiwari who was involved in the political violence against the Bhartiya Janata Party leaders. Supriyo also said that the final decision will be taken by the top leadership but Bengal BJP leaders can't accept someone who tormented their workers.
• Another setback for Trinamool Congress ahead of Amit Shah's visit to Bengal as Shilbhadra Dutta quits TMC on Friday.

Dutta, a two-term MLA, said he has sent the resignation letter to Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee by email, triggering speculations that he may join a long list of party leaders who have either joined the BJP or is willing to ahead of the assembly elections, likely in March-April.

• Soon after Dutta's exit from the party, TMC leader Kabirul Islam also sent his resignation to the TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee
• With a series of leaders leaving her party for the BJP, Mamata Banerjee has accused the BJP of "shamelessly" acquiring her party leaders. The Chief Minister, however, has hit back at the rebels. "Some people will come and go with the tide. But the real Trinamool is intact," she said at a rally in Cooch Behar before Adhikari's resignation.
• The MHA on Thursday sent a fresh letter to the West Bengal government, asking it to immediately relieve three IPS officers who have been sought for central deputation. The MHA argued that IPS Cadre rules state that in case of a dispute between the Centre and a state, it is the Centre that shall prevail.
• The MHA also argued that the three IPS officers have already been given new assignments, and hence must be relieved for central deputation. The three officers are Bholanath Pandey (SP, Diamond Harbour), Praveen Tripathi (DIG, Presidency Range) and Rajeev Mishra (ADG, South Bengal). They were responsible for the security of BJP president JP Nadda during his December 9-10 visit, during which some vehicles in his convoy were pelted with stones in Diamond Harbour.
• Ministry of Home Affairs has asked the chief secretary and DGP West Bengal for a meeting in Delhi, regarding the law and order situation in the state. Communication was sent yesterday and the meeting is scheduled for 5:30 pm today. The top officers had responded seeking a virtual meeting with the Centre, instead.
• Responding to the MHA's letter, Trinamool Congress supremo and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said her government will not cow-down before "expansionist" and "undemocratic" forces. Mamata Banerjee said the MHA's letter is "blatant misuse of power" and that this was a "deliberate attempt" by the Centre to encroach upon the state's jurisdiction and demoralise the serving officers in West Bengal.
• Meanwhile, to strengthen its campaign in the state, the BJP has deployed seven senior party leaders who will each be given six Lok Sabha constituencies to work in. The seven leaders will be reporting to BJP president JP Nadda, Union home minister Amit Shah and senior BJP leader BL Santosh.

The seven leaders are Gajendra Shekhawat, Sanjeev Balyan, Prahlad Patel, Arjun Munda, Mansukh Mandaviya, Keshav Prasad Maurya and Narottam Mishra. Also Watch|Babul Supriyo reacts on Jitendra Tiwari joining BJP