Suvendu Adhikari

Suvendu Adhikari[3] is an Indian politician. He is former minister in charge of Transport, Irrigation and Water resource in Government of West Bengal. He was a member of the 15th Lok Sabha and the 16th Lok Sabha (2014-2016), as an All India Trinamool Congress candidate, from Tamluk. [4][5]

Suvendu Adhikari
Chairperson and Managing Director of Jute Corporation of India
Assumed office
31 December 2020[1]
Preceded byAjay Kumar Jolly
Member of West Bengal Legislative Assembly
In office
19 May 2016 – 21 December 2020
Preceded byFiroja Bibi
ConstituencyNandigram
In office
12 May 2006 – 16 May 2009
Preceded bySisir Adhikari
Succeeded byDibyendu Adhikari
ConstituencyKanthi Dakshin
Minister for Transport,
Government of West Bengal
In office
27 May 2016 – 27 November 2020
GovernorKeshari Nath Tripathi
Jagdeep Dhankhar
Chief MinisterMamata Banerjee
Preceded byAroop Biswas
Succeeded byMamata Banerjee [2]
Minister of Environment, Government of West Bengal
In office
2018–2020
Chief MinisterMamata Banerjee
Preceded bySovan Chatterjee
Succeeded byMamata Banerjee[2]
Member of Parliament, Lok Sabha
In office
16 May 2009 – 19 May 2016
Preceded byLakshman Chandra Seth
Succeeded byDibyendu Adhikari
ConstituencyTamluk
Personal details
Born (1970-12-15) 15 December 1970
Contai, Purba Medinipur, West Bengal
NationalityIndian
Political partyBharatiya Janata Party
Other political
affiliations
FatherSisir Adhikari
RelativesDibyendu Adhikari (brother)
ResidenceContai, Purba Medinipur, West Bengal
Alma materRabindra Bharati University (M.A) Contai P. K. College (B.A)
ProfessionPolitician

He is the son of Sisir Adhikari, former Union Minister of State for Rural Development in the Manmohan Singh government.[6][7]

Credited as the man who galvanised the people of Nandigram under the umbrella of the Bhumi Uchhed Pratirodh Committee, when rumours of land acquisition for a chemical hub had triggered a movement, Suvendu Adhikari was a member of the Legislative Assembly from Contai.[8] Suvendu defeated CPI(M)’s strongman Lakshman Seth by a margin of 1,72,958 votes.[9] He resigned from the primary membership of All India Trinamool Congress & joined Bharatiya Janata Party on 19th December 2020.

Personal life

Suvendu Adhikari was born on 15 December 1970 to Sisir Adhikari and Gayatri Adhikari at Karkuli in Purba Medinipur district in West Bengal. Suvendu's father Sisir Adhikari is a politician, and former Minister of State in Second Manmohan Singh ministry and was elected to the Lok Sabha from Kanthi constituency in 2019. [10][11] One of Suvendu's brothers Soumen is the chairman of the Kanthi municipal corporation.[11] Dibyendu Adhikari, elected to Lok Sabha in 2019 from Tamluk constituency, is also his brother. Suvendu received a Master of Arts degree from Netaji Subhas Open University.[10]

Political career

Suvendu Adhikari was first elected as a councillor from Indian National Congress in the Contai Municipality in 1995.[12] In 2006, Adhikari was elected to the West Bengal Legislative Assembly from Kanthi Dakshin constituency. He also became the chairman of Kanthi Municipal Corporation in the same year.[10]

In 2007, Adhikari spearheaded the anti-land-acquisition movement in the Nandigram. He led the Bhumi Uchhed Pratirodh Committee. The ruling Left Front government in West Bengal planned to acquire 10,000 acres of land in the village to set up a special economic zone.[13][14][15] This movement catapulted Mamata Banerjee to the centre-stage of Bengali politics.[15] The state CID alleged that Adhikari had supplied arms to the Maoists to wage an armed movement against the state government.[16][17]

After Adhikari's success in Nandigram, Banerjee made him the party's observer (in-charge) of the Jangal Mahal i.e. Paschim Medinipur, Purulia and Bankura districts. He was successful in expanding the party's base in these districts.[15] In 2009, he was elected to the Lok Sabha from the Tamluk constituency.[18] He defeated his nearest rival Lakshman Seth of Communist Party of India (Marxist) by a margin of approximately 173,000 votes.[9]

In the 2016 West Bengal Legislative Assembly election, Adhikari was pitted against Abdul Kadir Sheikh of the Left Front - Indian National Congress alliance in Nandigram constituency.[14] After getting elected, he resigned as an MP from Tamluk constituency.[19] He was sworn in as the Minister of Transport in the Second Mamata Banerjee ministry on 27 May 2016.[20] Adhikari resigned from the post of chairman of Hooghly River Bridge Commission (HRBC), a statutory body under the Government of West Bengal on 26 November 2020 [21] He also resigned as West Bengal Transport Minister on 27 November 2020.[22] He had tendered his resignation to the speaker of West Bengal Legislative Assembly as MLA on 16th December 2020 which was not accepted by the speaker initially on grounds of technicality. However, it was eventually accepted on 21 December 2020.[23] On 17th December 2020 he resigned from the primary membership of All India Trinamool Congress. [24] On 19th December 2020, he joined Bharatiya Janata Party in presence of Home Minister Amit Shah. [25][26]

Electoral History

Controversies

Adhikari was interrogated by the Central Bureau of Investigation in September 2014 for his alleged role in the Saradha Group financial scandal. A former employee of the company alleged the company's head Sudipto Sen met Adhikari before fleeing to Kashmir. Adhikari rejected such allegations.[27][28][29]

Shuvendu Adhikari was accused of supplying arms to the Maoists to overthrow the CPIM government during the Nandigram movement.[30][31]

See also

References
  1. Podder, Debasish (31 December 2020). "জুট কর্পোরেশন অফ ইন্ডিয়ার চেয়ারম্যান হচ্ছেন শুভেন্দু অধিকারী, নতুন বছরেই নিয়োগ". Hindustantimes Bangla (in Bengali). Retrieved 31 December 2020.
  2. "CM Banerjee will take charge of Suvendu's portfolio". NDTV. 28 November 2020.
  3. "FPJ Explains: Who was Subhendu Adhikari, the Bengal minister whose 'dissent' is threatening Mamata's regime?". m.freepressjournal.in. Retrieved 9 November 2020.
  4. "Thumbnail sketches of ministers of state". new Kerala.com. Retrieved 20 June 2009.
  5. "Suvendu Adhikari". India Govt. Retrieved 30 July 2009.
  6. Had no work, say former TMC mministers in UPA govt Archived 26 October 2012 at the Wayback Machine hindustantimes.com. Retrieved 11 November 2012
  7. "Suvendu Adhikari -Profile". Archived from the original on 29 October 2010. Retrieved 20 June 2009.
  8. Dutta, Indrani. "Like father, like son". The Hindu, 5 May 2009. Retrieved 30 July 2009.
  9. "Nandigram swings two seats in East Midnapore in Trinamool's favour". Indian Express 17 May 2009. Retrieved 30 July 2009.
  10. "Suvendu Adhikari". Lok Sabha. Retrieved 27 April 2019.
  11. "Nandigram: Trinamool's stronghold, one family's stranglehold". Asia Net News. Retrieved 27 April 2019.
  12. "The importance of being Suvendu Adhikari: Why the TMC strongman is miffed with the party leadership". www.timesnownews.com. Retrieved 17 December 2020.
  13. Sarkar, Arindam (26 April 2007). "Mamata promises to marry off raped girls of Nandigram". Hindustan Times. Retrieved 27 April 2019.
  14. "Trinamool Congress confident of victory in Nandigram". The Economic Times. 4 May 2016. Retrieved 27 April 2019.
  15. "From Nandigram to Murshidabad - Suvendu Adhikari is Mamata Banerjee's all weather man". Hindustan Times. 26 August 2019. Retrieved 27 April 2019.
  16. Roy, Anirban (17 July 2010). "CID to question Trinamool's Adhikari on Maoist links". India Today. Retrieved 27 April 2019.
  17. "Trinamool MP accused of supplying ammo to Naxalites". India Today. 16 July 2010. Retrieved 27 April 2019.
  18. "In Contai, it's family first for Trinamool's Sisir Adhikary". Indian Express. 5 November 2009. Retrieved 27 April 2019.
  19. "Dibyendu Adhikari to contest from Tamluk parliament constituency". India Today. 17 October 2016. Retrieved 30 April 2019.
  20. "List of Ministers in Mamata's cabinet". The Hindu. 27 May 2016. Retrieved 30 April 2019.
  21. "TMC's Suvendu Adhikari steps down as Bengal minister a day after resigning as Hooghly commission chairman". India Today. 27 November 2020. Retrieved 27 November 2020.
  22. "West Bengal: TMC rebel leader Suvendu Adhikari resigns as Transport Minister from Mamata govt". Times Now. 27 November 2020. Retrieved 27 November 2020.
  23. https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/trinamool-dissident-suvendu-adhikari-resigns-as-mla-amid-reports-he-will-switch-to-bjp-2339450
  24. "Didi aide Suvendu Adhikari exits TMC, sparks a spate of resignations". The Times Of India.
  25. "Suvendu Adhikari join Bharatiya Janata Party with other 9 MLA". Bangla Hunt.
  26. "Suvendu Adhikari ends all speculation, joins BJP, delivers jolt to Mamata and TMC". India Today. Retrieved 19 December 2020.
  27. "Saradha scam: CBI grills Trinamool MP Suvendu Adhikari". India TV. 24 September 2014. Retrieved 27 April 2019.
  28. "Saradha Scam: TMC MP Adhikari says 'his decision to become CBI witness'". The Indian Express. 25 September 2014. Retrieved 27 April 2019.
  29. "Suvendu Adhikari ends all speculation, joins BJP, delivers jolt to Mamata and TMC". India Today. Retrieved 19 December 2020.
  30. https://www.indiatoday.in/india/east/story/trinamool-mp-accused-of-supplying-ammo-to-naxalites-78780-2010-07-16. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  31. https://www.dnaindia.com/india/report-trinamool-mp-supplied-arms-to-maoists-cid-1410828. Missing or empty |title= (help)
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