Fourteen years after he led a bloody battle against forcible farmland acquisition, Suvendu Adhikari, the BJP candidate from the prestigious Nandigram seat is fighting the battle for political survival against his past mentor Mamata Banerjee.

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The agrarian constituency in Purba Medinipur district that had shaken the very base of the three and half-decade-old Left Front regime in West Bengal and had propelled the TMC to power in 2011, is now divided between its "Didi" (Mamata Banerjee) and "Dada" (Adhikari)".

Adhikari, who has quit TMC and is now fighting on a BJP ticket, said "I have faced many tough challenges in life.I will succeed this time too. I am never afraid of anyone or of speaking the truth".

More than a political fight, the battle for Nandigram has turned into one of prestige and has assumed the proportions of a personal fight to decide who owns the legacy of the Nandigram movement Banerjee or Adhikari.

"I fought the battle all alone here, facing attacks and threats to my life. Those who are now claiming the legacy of the historic Nandigram movement did nothing except deriving political benefits from it.

"I am fighting for Nandigram, for the people of Bengal," the 50-year-old BJP leader told.

(Edited by : Jomy)

First Published:Mar 30, 2021 6:01 PM IST