Abhishek Banerjee Vs Suvendu Adhikari: An evening on ‘X’ where Ex colleagues sparred to “prod conscious” and “stir conscience”

Ten tweets in six hours between two arch rivals had set the tone for a never seen before evening show on Wednesday evening, nothing short of a Bollywood potboiler with full of punch lines that kept audience gripped, albeit parallel to the Chandrayaan 3 excitement.

In a massive spar of words BJP Bengal Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari and Trinamool National General Secretary Abhishek Banerjee engaged over ten exchanges on ‘X’, formerly known as twitter. Suvendu Adhikari set it off with a post attaching a press note of Enforcement Directorate over raids at the premises of Leaps and Bounds, a company where ED claimed TMC MP Abhishek Banerjee “is the Chief Executive Officer (CEO). The raids were in connection with probe into alleged money involving accused Sujay Krishna Bhadra, arrested in connection with the ongoing recruitment scam probe.

- [ ] Prod your Conscience Vs Stir your Conscience:-

At 4.09pm- “I would like to refresh someone's memory, who keeps repeating that he would voluntarily walk to the gallows and hang himself if the agencies find any evidence of wrongdoing against him; the people of WB aren't bothered about your shenanigans, no need to walk to the gallows, just walk to the Offices of the investigating agencies and cooperate. I hope this is enough to prod your conscience," Suvendu Adhikari wrote on X

In less than twelve minutes, Abhishek Banerjee responded with a screen grab of the infamous Narada sting operation where Suvendu Adhikari is accused of accepting bribe money in case.

4.21pm - "I hope this pic is SUFFICIENT to stir YOUR CONSCIENCE! May I inquire as to when are you walking to the offices of the investigating agencies. @dir_ed ?”- wrote Abhishek Banerjee on X

- [ ] The Narada Debate

Minutes later Suvendu Adhikari responded with screen grabs of other TMC leaders from the same Narada tapes including Firhad hakim, a minister in Mamata Banerjee cabinet who was arrested in 2021, days after Mamata Banerjee had sworn in as the Chief Minister for the third consecutive time after defeating BJP with a landslide margin. Interestingly Suvendu Adhikari also claimed that the grab Abhishek Banerjee had shared showed him holding a newspaper and not liquid cash. Interestingly he is named in the same Narada Fir and accused of accepting Rs 5 lakh cash as bribe. In 40 minutes Abhishek Banerjee had hit back with an open challenge to the Prime Minister’s office under which comes ED to probe everyone named in the Narada Fir, suggesting that Suvendu wasn’t probed since he joined BJP after leaving TMC in 2020, months ahead of the assembly polls. With the post Abhishek Banerjee also attached the video from Narada tapes where Suvende is alleged to have accepted cash as bribe.


4.56 pm Suvendu Adhikari wrote : Why don't you ask your beloved uncle Firhad Hakim, grand-uncle Sougata Roy & aunty Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar about this? They seem to be better placed to reply to your query. The image shared by you only shows me holding newspaper, but what I have shared, read it properly, it says during the search operations, various incriminating documents & digital evidence were recovered in connection with M/s Leaps and Bounds Pvt Ltd; a company wherein you were the Director from April 2012 to January 2014; the company which made dubious transactions running into crores of Rupees. Moreover, who are the current Directors? Time is running out for you, use it judiciously. 

5.40pm Abhishek Banerjee:  It's my open challenge to the @dir_ed and @PMOIndia to take action against all FIR named accused in #NARADA starting with YOU! Also, attaching the video just so this visual evidence serve as a resounding reminder of your inherent shamelessness, both in the past and eternally.

The Chandrayaan 3 Break

Both sides then maintained silence till 8 pm on Wednesday owing to the landing of Chandrayaan 3 on Moon, as India scripted history stoking nationwide celebrations.

- [ ] Family Debate

But at 8.08pm Suvendu Adhikari wrote another long post to Abhishek Banerjee. This time he dragged his wife and sister-in-law into the debate. “"Also, you want to know an unchallenged & well established fact? You have made your close ones & relatives accomplice by making them recipients of Proceeds of Crime. It's a shame that they would probably be considered as accessory to the Recruitment & other Financial Scams. Also, could you please let us know who Rujira Naroola is? Maneka Gambhir? Since you were the Director of Leaps and Bounds, can you kindly enlighten us with the names of the present Directors?”, he wrote.

Half an hour later, at 8.39 pm Abhishek Banerjee sharply responded to the post trail and said "A person who, in a bid to protect themselves from CBI & ED resorted to using their own father and brother as bargaining chips, is hardly in a position to lecture others on the sanctity of family and relationships. BTW which political party do they belong to ?”. Interestingly Banerjee had added a smiley at the end, indicative of a satirical punch he pulled at the Adhikari family where Suvendu’s father Sisir Adhikari and brother Dibyendu Adhikari are existing MPs from Trinamool Congress but had joined BJP following Suvendu.


- [ ] Public Debate

At 9.10pm Suvendu Adhikari wrote: "Someone seems to be evading my tough questions as he is at a loss for words. Guilty mind ! I would answer your irrelevant question once you dare to answer what I asked you first. Anyways I don't care for bargaining chips because I hold the aces. By the way can you tell everyone which political party these gentlemen are associated with:- Arjun Singh; MP Barrackpore Mukul Roy; MLA Krishnanagar North Krishna Kalyani; MLA Raiganj Biswajit Das; MLA Bagda Tanmoy Ghosh; MLA Bishnupur Suman Kanjilal; MLA Alipurduar."

At 9.27pm Abhishek Banerjee responded and invited Suvendu Adhikari for an open debate.  "Happy to answer all your questions why don't you just chose a place and time. Will also come with the audio excerpts of your two telephonic communication with one of the alleged accused of coal scam regarding setting & settlement. Let me know if you are up for the challenge.”, he offered.

- [ ] Wednesday Sign off

In the last pair of exchange at 9.44pm Suvendu Adhikari wrote: "Why didn't you approach the Hon'ble Court regarding it? Afraid that it might boomerang and bite you back? You have developed the habit of regularly knocking the doors of the Hon'ble Courts so that you can seek protection and evade questioning. For once you could have used this as an opportunity to cooperate in the Coal Scam Investigation, as you have been summoned on more than one occasion regarding it. My challenge is that as a Lawmaker you first come clean, as your name keeps cropping up in every scam. Then we can decide on the other terms. But first come clean..."

At 9.55pm Abhishek Banerjee in limited words responded and affirmed that he may take some evidences to court and asked him to watch out for more in days to come. “Sure. Will submit the same in both HC and SC asking for a voice sampling test to dispel any doubts that may linger. Let us exercise patience and witness the unfolding of events. Stay tuned!" he said. He didn’t openly clarify as whose voice sampling would confirm the digital evidence he claims to have in his possession, something can implicate some in the ongoing coal scam probe by ED and CBI.

Mamata Banerjee has openly slammed the conduct of central agencies as politically motivated as part of vendetta politics. TMC supremo has accused the Centre of misusing central agencies to corner the opposition while dismissing any role of her family into any scams. Abhishek Banerjee has so far maintained that if there is any proof od his involvement in the coal or any other scam then h would publicly walk into the gallows. “You are forcefully going inside offices at times and then asking the person whoever is there to leave. You are not keeping any witness there. And if we have to imagine, where is the guarantee that you are not doing anything wrong inside the property? Where is the guarantee that you are not planting money, arms, or an explosive inside? This is illegal, you are not informing anyone. The Prime Minister is going abroad and talking about inclusivity but in back home they are treating us worse than ants” said West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday after ED had raided 4 places in Kolkata and South 24 paraganas including office of Leaps and Bounds in connection with alleged recruitment scam.​