Suvendu sends notice to Barla; Dilip Ghosh sounds alarm

Kolkata: Political climate in Bengal heated up after the Leader of Opposition in the Assembly, Suvendu Adhikari, issued a legal notice to former BJP MP John Barla, demanding a public apology within 48 hours for Barla’s comment on Adhikari.

Former state BJP president Dilip Ghosh already stated that Barla’s joining the TMC was a matter of concern for the saffron party. Ghosh told the media that his party BJP should have pondered why such an important leader from north Bengal switched to TMC. His joining TMC would also have an impact on the BJP, as Barla has a major support base in north Bengal.After switching camps, Barla on Thursday claimed that Adhikari had obstructed his hospital project and stated: “Why should I stay in the party if I am not allowed to work?” Adhikari has strongly denied these accusations. He said: “I am sending him a legal letter. He must either prove it within 48 hours or apologise publicly. Otherwise, I will file a criminal defamation case against him.”

After joining TMC, Barla accused Adhikari of hindering his efforts to construct a 100-bed hospital in Alipurduar, for which Railway funds had been allocated by the state. Barla was denied a ticket for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections by the BJP, joined the TMC in Kolkata on Thursday, in the presence of state party president Subrata Bakshi and Minister Aroop Biswas. BJP’s internal discord came out recently after Dilip Ghosh had visited Digha Jagannath Dham when the two top leaders of his party in the state — Ashikari and Sukanta Majumdar had boycotted the temple. “We just had to sign the MoU, but the present Leader of the Opposition Suvendu Adhikari got it blocked. A call went from here to Delhi, and the project was shelved,” Barla told the reporters on Thursday.

He said that tribal people and tea garden workers had voted for BJP but they did not get anything in return.

He said that the Mamata Banerjee government has carried out a host of development schemes for the people.