TMC's Jitendra Tiwari quits as Asansol civic body chief, hails Suvendu

ASANSOL (WB): Trinamool Congress MLA Jitendra Tiwari resigned as the chief of the Asansol Municipal Corporation on Thursday, days after he accused the West Bengal government of depriving the industrial city of central funds under the smart city project.

Tiwari, the Trinamool Congress's Paschim Bardhaman district president, also lauded Suvendu Adhikari as the second-most important leader of the party after Mamata Banerjee.

"I have resigned from the post of the chairman of the Board of Administrators of Asansol Municipal Corporation. If I am not allowed to work, what will I do with the post? So, I have resigned," he told reporters.


He is likely to meet Banerjee in Kolkata on Friday, sources said.

Earlier, Tiwari skipped a meeting with the party's leadership to iron out the differences.

In the meantime, he met Adhikari, who quit the party and the government, at TMC MP Sunil Mandal's residence in the Kanksa area of the district on Wednesday evening.

Tiwari, an MLA from Pandebswar, wrote to Municipal Affairs Minister Firhad Hakim a few days back, stating that the Asansol Municipal Corporation has been deprived of Rs 2,000 crore central funds as the state government had created hurdles in its selection in the smart city project.

He recently also resigned from the board of governors of a college in Asansol.