Incessant rain forces Bengal CM to visit Murshidabad by road

Kolkata, Jul 10 (PTI) West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari travelled to Murshidabad by road on Friday in his first visit to the district after assuming office, as incessant rains forced him to cancel his scheduled journey by air, a senior officer said. Heavy monsoon showers lashed a large part of West Bengal, with Cooch Behar in the northern parts of the state receiving the highest 143 mm of rain in 24 hours till Friday morning. The officer said the chief minister's travel plans were revised because of adverse weather conditions, and the road travel was approved after the proper arrangements were put in place. "We had planned for the chief minister to travel by air. However, continuous rain and prevailing weather conditions made flying unviable. "After reviewing the situation, it was decided that he would proceed by road. All necessary security and logistical arrangements were made accordingly," the officer said. Adhikari is scheduled to attend an organisational meeting of his party at a hotel in Berhampore, followed by an administrative review meeting at Rabindra Sadan there. He is also slated to address a party meeting in Rejinagar later in the day. The Rejinagar programme assumes political significance as the constituency is a stronghold of Aam Janata Unnayan Party founder Humayun Kabir, who recently came under fire for his alleged disparaging and inflammatory remarks. Adhikari had lashed out at Kabir in the Assembly, accusing the Nowda MLA of making inflammatory statements to polarise voters for a bypoll the AJUP leader's son is likely to fight after he vacated the Rejinagar seat. Responding to the chief minister's statement, Kabir later clarified that his remarks were not directed against the government, but against those who became BJP leaders in Murshidabad after the Assembly poll results and were threatening him. Two criminal cases have been initiated against Kabir at the Shaktipur and Rejinagar police stations, the chief minister had told the House, sparking speculation about the MLA's possible arrest. Adhikari had also announced that he would visit Murshidabad within a week. PTI SCH NSD