Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari on Wednesday claimed that he was not invited to the Republic Day parade here as Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and her government was "yet to reconcile to her election defeat against him in Nandigram". Talking to reporters on the sidelines of another programme, Adhikari said Banerjee tried to “avenge her humiliating assembly poll defeat” by dropping his name from the list of invitees for the Red Road parade.
"She is yet to reconcile to her defeat against me. There could be a remedy to cancer but not to revengeful mindset and jealousy. The CM must have forgotten that not inviting the leader of the opposition was against the protocol," the Nandigram MLA, who was once a part of the Mamata Banerjee cabinet, said. Adhikari pointed out that last year, months ahead of the assembly polls, then leader of opposition Abdul Mannan was an invitee to the Republic Day parade.
Transport Minister and Kolkata Municipal Corporation Mayor Firhad Hakim, when approached, said he had no information about the matter. Hakim, however, noted that Adhikari had "failed to turn up at the Independence Day programme on Red Road last year. I am not aware of the reasons".
Veteran Congress MP of Rajya Sabha Pradip Bhattacharya said he won't be able to speak on behalf of the Nandigram MLA as the two don't share the same ideology "but if what he has claimed is true it was unfortunate. The leader of the opposition should always be invited to such events". The CM, Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar, cabinet ministers were among those who attended the Red Road programme on Wednesday, held with Covid-19 restrictions in place.
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