Saumitra Khan announces on social media that he is “quitting” party post, withdraws “resignation” later

Just hours after resigning as the chief of Bharatiya Janata Party’s Bengal youth wing and attacking the state party leadership on Wednesday, MP Saumitra Khan decided to withdraw his resignation apparently after assurances from senior party leaders including Union Home Minister Amit Shah.

On Wednesday evening, after the induction of four BJP leaders from West Bengal as junior ministers in the Central government, Khan stepped down from the post he was holding and attacked Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari. Khan thanked the Central party leadership for choosing four BJP leaders from Bengal as ministers, but alleged that Suvendu Adhikari was trying to take credit for everything. Khan also attacked the state BJP president Dilip Ghosh.

In the video that he posted on Facebook, Saumitra Khan said that Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari was repeatedly going to Delhi and “misleading” the Central leadership of the party. “He is projecting before everyone that he is everything, and there’s only focus on him,” Khan said, adding that Adhikari has also been asking for favours for his family members. “Earlier he used to project himself as a big Trinamool leader, and now he is doing the same in the BJP,” Khan said. He added that the state party chief, despite being told about the areas of differences, could not grasp the entire matter.

“We have all made sacrifices, he (Adhikari) is not the only one. I would urge him to look at himself in the mirror and to introspect,” Khan said. “From today, due to personal reasons, I am relieving myself of the responsibility of Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM) state unit. I was in BJP, I am in BJP, and will continue to be a part of it,” Khan, who had joined the BJP from Trinamool Congress in 2018, wrote on Facebook.

However, later, he took to social media again to announce: “I take an opportunity to inform that under instruction of our BJP leaders BL Santhosh Ji,Amit Shah Ji and Tejasvi Surya Ji, I withdraw my resignation as a mark of respect.”