West Bengal: Some Success For CM Mamata As TMC MLA Jitendra Tiwari Takes A U-Turn Over Resignation

Pandabeswar MLA Jitendra Tiwari had resigned as the chief of the Asansol Municipal Corporation on Thursday and soon after quit the party to follow rebel leader Suvendu Adhikari. Read on.

Photo: Getty/ANI

Kolkata: Trinamool Congress managed to succeed in retaining a member late on Friday as MLA Jitendra Tiwari took a U-turn within 24 hours of resigning from the party. Tiwari is said to have called it a mistake and urged the party leadership to not accept his resignation.  Pandabeswar MLA Jitendra Tiwari had resigned as the chief of the Asansol Municipal Corporation on Thursday and soon after quit the party to follow rebel leader Suvendu Adhikari. However, Tiwari met senior Trinamool leader Arup Biswas and poll strategist Prashant Kishor at south Kolkata's Suruchi Sangha club on Friday. "It was my mistake. There were some misunderstandings. Whatever I said it was absolutely wrong on my part. I am told that Didi was hurt at my gesture. I cannot do anything that hurts Didi," Tiwari told the media. "I will personally meet Mamata didi and seek her apology. I will continue to work for the Trinamool Congress," he added. Biswas then confirmed Tiwari’s decision to remain in the TMC. This development perhaps is not as much about a change of conscience but has more to do with the Pandabeswar MLA not being welcomed by union minister Babul Supriyo in the saffron party. In a Facebook post, Supriyo wrote: "What my Top Bosses decide is a different thing but I will try my very best with all my might and honesty to ensure that NO TMC leader who tormented, tortured (both Physically and Mentally) my grass root level BJP colleagues in Asansol, don't get an entry in BJP!! We have the support of the people of Asansol with us in my efforts to clean up Asansol in every manner possible and the recent crack down on the Coal/Sand Mafias of the region prove that I had really meant to do it with all my heart in my endeavour to do justice to Asansol and give the youth there a clean peaceful life which we will make possible once we form our government in 2021." The resignation of Suvendu Adhikari initiated a crisis mode of sorts for the TMC and its supremo Mamata Banerjee as the party's heavyweight ended his association lasting almost 2 decades. Adhikari had resigned as a member of the Mamata Banerjee cabinet and from several other posts that he held last month. This was followed by Banerjee receiving two more resignations in the last 48 hours. Two-time Kanthi Uttar MLA Banasri Maity and Barrackpore MLA Silbhadra Dutta resigned from the party’s primary membership on Friday. Meanwhile, dissident TMC heavyweight Suvendu Adhikari is also expected to join the BJP during Shah's rally in Midnapore today.