BJP not seeking revenge against Trinamool, CID noticeto Abhishek over 2 MLAs' complaint: Suvendu

PTI, June 1, 2026, Kolkata: West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari on Monday said the CID sent a notice to MP Abhishek Banerjee following a complaint by two of his own party’s MLAs. He said two Trinamool Congress MLAs—Ritabrata Bandopadhyay and Sandipan Saha—complained to the Assembly Secretariat that their signatures in the party’s resolution for appointing Sobhandeb Chattopadhyay as the Leader of Opposition were forged.

Immediately after the Chief Minister’s press conference, the Trinamool Congress expelled the two legislators from the party for “anti-party activities”. “It may seem like vengeance to some, but we do not want to do any such things since the party (Trinamool) is already defunct,” the Chief Minister said.

Adhikari maintained that neither the BJP nor the government has any role in the CID sending a notice to Banerjee to appear before it on Monday in connection with its probe into the alleged forgery of signatures. Maintaining that the signatures were forged, Adhikari said, “I have asked the CID to take action under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita provisions for forgery.”

Adhikari said the CID gave a notice to Banerjee, the Trinamool national general secretary, to appear before it on Monday with the resolution book. The Chief Minister said the state’s DGP told him that Banerjee has sought more time to appear before the CID. Adhikari said it is up to the CID to decide whether to grant any extension due to illness or other issues, maintaining that he will not interfere.

Banerjee has, through his lawyers, sought an extension of time to appear before the CID, citing health-related issues.

Adhikari said that on 9 May, in a letter to the Assembly Speaker, “the All-India General Secretary of regional party Trinamool Congress” wrote that veteran party leader Sobhandeb Chattopadhyay be appointed as the Leader of Opposition.

Adhikari said that on 18 May, on the order of the Speaker, the Principal Secretary of the Assembly wrote to Abhishek Banerjee to submit the minutes of the resolution for appointing Chattopadhyay. On 20 May, the Trinamool Congress national general secretary sent a copy of the resolution with the signatures of 70 party MLAs, of which more than 10 names are in block letters, Adhikari said, holding that signatures “cannot be in block letters”.

The Chief Minister said that two Trinamool Congress MLAs—Ritabrata Bandopadhyay and Sandipan Saha—complained to the Speaker, alleging that “no resolution was adopted regarding the selection of the Leader of Opposition on 6 May”.