Kolkata: In a much-awaited press conference, Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari made serious allegations on Friday, claiming that a tendering process was manipulated in a government tender related to Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's office. The alleged manipulation was reportedly aimed at appointing an external agency for public communication.
According to Adhikari, the tender was awarded in favor of a company that he believes has links to a political consultancy. He further asserted that he had already emailed the relevant documents to the Governor and is awaiting a response.
Allegations by Adhikari
"The tender pertained to the state government, which is under the control of the Chief Minister herself. Moreover, the tender value was also increased in this particular issue," said Adhikari. He stated that the initial tender value was ₹120 crore but was later raised to ₹152 crore. Adhikari demanded that the Chief Minister provide a 'white paper' on the matter.
However, in another development, Adhikari rejected CM Mamata Banerjee's allegations against the BJP, where she claimed that the party was planning to divide society in Bengal for political gains in the run-up to the Lok Sabha 2024 elections.
Addressing the grassroot workers of CPI (M) and Congress, the Leader of Opposition urged them to either join the BJP or create a platform to remove Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee from power.
In response to Adhikari's claims, TMC spokesperson Kunal Ghosh dismissed them as 'baseless'. Ghosh countered by mentioning that Adhikari himself faces several corruption charges and asserted that the tender was conducted in a fair manner.
