“He came unannounced”: What Tushar Mehta said about Suvendu Adhikary’s visit to his office-cum-residence

After Trinamool Congress urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to remove Tushar Mehta as Solicitor General of India over his alleged meeting with BJP leader Suvendu Adhikary, Mehta today said that he had not met the BJP leader who had dropped by “unannounced” at his office-cum-residence in Delhi on Thursday.

In Kolkata, on Friday, Suvendu Adhikary too told the media at a press conference in the state Assembly building that he had not met Mehta.

There were reports mentioning that Adhikary had met Mehta when he was in Delhi on Thursday. During his Delhi visit on Thursday, Adhikary had also called on Union Home Minister Amit Shah.

Later, the Trinamool Congress alleged “conflict of interest” in Mehta’s meeting with Adhikary, the Leader of Opposition in Bengal, adding that Mehta should be “immediately removed” as the Centre’s top lawyer. The party mentioned in the letter that Adhikary is an accused in various criminal cases.

Mehta today said that there was no question of meeting Adhikary. “Suvendu Adhikary did come to my residence-cum-office yesterday at around 3 pm, unannounced. Since I was already in a pre-scheduled meeting in my chamber, my staff requested him to sit in the waiting room of my office building and offered him a cup of tea,” Mehta was quoted saying in some reports.

“When my meeting was over and thereafter my (personal secretary) informed me about his arrival, I requested him to convey to Mr Adhikary my inability to meet him and apologise as he had to wait. Mr Adhikary thanked my PPS and left without insisting to meet me. The question of my meeting with Mr Adhikary therefore did not arise.”