Kolkata (PTI): Abhijit Gangopadhyay announced on Tuesday that he is joining the BJP, hours after he resigned as a judge of the Calcutta High Court.
Addressing a press conference, he alleged that the TMC was "synonymous with corruption" and he would fight it till the end.
"I will be joining the BJP, possibly on March 7. I am joining the BJP as it is a national party, which is fighting against the corruption of the TMC in Bengal," he said.
Gangopadhyay, whose rulings on various education-related matters stirred political debates, refrained from giving a direct reply on whether he would contest the Lok Sabha polls.
"It is for the BJP leadership to decide whether they want me to fight. Whatever they decide I will accept," he said.
Gangopadhyay said he would fight against the "injustice" and "corruption" of the TMC.
"TMC leaders have been using derogatory language against me for quite some time. If they don't like a judgment, then they can't just verbally attack a judge. Such instigations only helped me to take the decision to join politics and fight the TMC, which is synonymous with corruption in Bengal," he said.
"The days of the TMC are numbered in West Bengal. The CPI (M)-led Left Front was decimated in the 2009 Lok Sabha polls, ultimately leading to their defeat in the 2011 assembly polls. The TMC will also face the same fate," he claimed.
On joining the BJP, he said the decision was taken over the last few days.
"I was on leave for the last few days and got in touch with the BJP. They also contacted me. I felt this is the right platform to fight against the TMC," he said.
Asked about the allegations of corruption against Leader of the Opposition Suvendu Adhikari of the BJP, Gangopadhyay said it was "a cooked up case to frame him and other TMC leaders" to pave the way for a top TMC leader's accession in the party's power structure.
Gangopadhyay sent his resignation letter to President Droupadi Murmu with copies to CJI DY Chandrachud and the Chief Justice of the Calcutta HC TS Sivagnanam in the morning.
He joined the Calcutta High Court as an additional judge on May 2, 2018. He was elevated as permanent judge on July 30, 2020.
VIDEO | "I don't consider TMC as a (political) party rather it is a theatre group," says Justice Abhijit Gangopadhyay, who resigned as a judge of Calcutta High Court earlier today, during a press conference in #Kolkata.
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) March 5, 2024
(Full video available on PTI Videos -… pic.twitter.com/F3MoHWczJ3
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Bengaluru: Leader of the Opposition R. Ashoka launched a scathing attack on MLC Dr. Yathindra, demanding that he retract his controversial statement comparing Chief Minister Siddaramaiah to the late Maharaja Nalwadi Krishnaraja Wadiyar. Ashoka urged Yathindra to apologize to the people of Karnataka if he had even a shred of conscience and any respect for the Mysuru royal lineage.
In a strongly worded social media post on Sunday, Ashoka stated, “Comparing Siddaramaiah to Nalwadi Krishnaraja Wadiyar is nothing short of absurd. Where is Nalwadi, who was bestowed the title of ‘Rajarshi’ by Mahatma Gandhi himself, and where is Siddaramaiah, who has stooped to being a puppet in the hands of fake Gandhis for the sake of power?”
He continued his critique by contrasting the enduring legacy of Nalwadi, remembered fondly by Kannadigas for his people-centric development, with what he termed as Siddaramaiah’s failure to manage Karnataka’s economy, burdening every household with debt.
Ashoka highlighted several stark differences, while Nalwadi built Mysore University over a century ago, Siddaramaiah is shutting down nine universities due to lack of funds. Nalwadi famously sold his family’s gold to build the KRS dam, whereas Siddaramaiah is accused of grabbing 14 sites meant for the public. Nalwadi established Bhadravati Iron & Steel Plant, Sandalwood Soap Factory, and Mysore Paper Mills. In contrast, Ashoka claimed Siddaramaiah's governance drove away industries, investors, and entrepreneurs. Nalwadi pioneered reservations for the backward classes long before it became mainstream. Siddaramaiah, Ashoka alleged, is reducing social justice to a gimmick by sticking labels on doors in the name of surveys.
While acknowledging Yathindra’s emotional attachment to his father, Ashoka emphasized that comparing Siddaramaiah to a visionary like Nalwadi was “laughable, baseless, and a gross insult” to the late king.
In his concluding remarks, Ashoka slammed the government for ignoring farmers’ needs despite an early monsoon. He accused the administration of being caught up in internal power struggles and negligence, forcing farmers into despair. “This government will not be spared from the curse of the farmers,” he warned.