Shristy Kamal, Pune
After resigning from Calcutta High Court on Tuesday, Abhijit Gangopadhyay announced that he will join the BJP on March 7, with the party determining whether he will contest in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. He expressed that he wanted to join the BJP to “fight against the corruption of the TMC” in Bengal. He sent his resignation to President Droupadi Murmu, with copies sent to Chief Justice of India (CJI) D.Y. Chandrachud and T.S. Sivagnanam, the Chief Justice of Calcutta High Court.
He said that he decided to resign because he wanted to work for the welfare of the public. The former judge said that he has dealt with matters of corruption mostly in the education sector, which has also been exposed to many influential figures awaiting trial in jail from the government.
Expressing his reasons, he said that he has been compelled to resign because of the taunts thrown at him by the ruling party, which motivated him to take this step. He also criticized the ruling party, stating that they used unparliamentary words and questioned their education. Addressing the timing of his joining the BJP, he revealed that he had a conversation with the BJP seven days ago and did not have much time to think. Anticipating the fate of the TMC, he said that he does not think that the TMC will last until 2026 and that in 2024, the TMC will be in the same state as the CPM was in 2009.
Responding to the allegations made by Kalyan Banerjee, MP of Trinamool Lok Sabha, who dismissed all political orders passed by Justice Gangopadhyay, the ex-justice said that the MP is known for his character. Criticizing the TMC, he said that he does not think of Trinamool as a political party. Talking about the 2016 Narada Sting Operations, where TMC leaders were caught accepting cash on camera, he defended Suvendu Adhikari, a BJP member, saying that he was just a victim of the conspiracy. The former judge has been embroiled in conspiracies like ignoring orders by the higher benches of the SC registry and several other dramatic moments in the courtroom.