EXCLUSIVE: Subhendu Adhikary tells Sougata Roy that it’s impossible to work together after his “unethical” move

Has the imbroglio over Subhendu Adhikary’s disgruntlement with Trinamool Congress been resolved? Will he resign as MLA and as member of the Trinamool Congress after resigning as state minister? Such questions have been doing the rounds since a “secret” meeting between Subhendu Adhikary, Sougata Roy, Sudip Bandopadhyay, Abhishek Banerjee and Trinamool’s election advisor Prashant Kishor took place on Tuesday evening.

But there has been a dramatic change in the situation by Wednesday evening. Sources said that Subhendu Adhikary has informed “mediator” Sougata Roy that the latter has done something “unethical” due to which Adhikary feels it is impossible to work together. However, whether this means Subhendu Adhikary will quit Trinamool Congress was not made clear to Roy. Trinamool Congress senior leader and MP Sougata Roy had made statements before the media on Tuesday late evening after the meeting that things had been resolved with Subhendu Adhikary already. However, it seems now that the stance taken by Roy has miffed Adhikary all over again. Roy had told the media that the meeting with Subhendu Adhikary had been done “in very good spirit”.

At the meeting, Adhikary had explained his various grievances. Abhishek Banerjee is said to have told him that he must be part of the party’s political campaigns immediately, keeping aside the differences, which was reiterated by Prashant Kishor. Following this, Adhikary told the others that some of his close aides in various districts – such as Pranab Basu, Samiran Mitra, Srishtidhar Mahato, Mosharraf Hossain among others – had faced action for being close to him. Adhikary added that he would speak with them on December 4 and inform the party about his position.

Abhishek Banerjee asked Adhikary to join a public meeting with party chief Mamata Banerjee in Midnapore on December 7, and Subhendu told him that he would explain his position to the party well before that day. It was in fact, decided that Subhendu Adhikary would make his position clear at a press conference on December 6, and no one else would say anything publicly on Adhikary’s position. However, the moment the meeting ended, Sougata Roy had told the media that “everything has been resolved”. This statement has apparently miffed Adhikary as he feels the promise made to him at the meeting was broken by Roy.

He thus wrote to Sougata Roy saying that this statement was made “unethically” and thus it is impossible to work together. Adhikary could not be reached for a comment. Others in the Trinamool Congress did not want to make an official statement on the matter.