West Bengal political heavyweight Suvendu Adhikari joins BJP at Amit Shah's rally in Midnapore

Midnapore, Dec 19: Senior leader and former West Bengal minister Suvendu Adhikari, who resigned from the Trinamool Congress (TMC) on Thursday, joined the BJP in the presence of Union Home Minister Amit Shah in Paschim Medinipur on Saturday.

Adhikari was present on the stage at College Ground where Shah is addressing a rally. Midnapore is considered to be Adhikari's stronghold.

Arriving at the ancestral house of Khudiram after landing at Midnapore town from Kolkata in a helicopter, the home minister greeted the revolutionary's family members with shawls and mementos.

The home minister interacted with the family members of Khudiram Bose for some time before visiting the centuries-old Siddheswari Mata temple nearby.

He paid floral obeisance to the goddess and performed 'aarti'.

Earlier in the day, Shah visited the birthplace of Swami Vivekananda in north Kolkata on Saturday morning and said that the ideals of the 19th-century icon are more relevant in the present-day world.

Shah, who is on a two-day visit to West Bengal, paid tribute to Swami Vivekananda, hailing him for taking Indian's culture and ethos to the world. Members of the BJP women's wing, in traditional white saree with red borders, welcomed him by showering flower petals. After garlanding the statue of Swami Vivekananda outside the complex, Shah was shown the articles used by him. The BJP leader also interacted with the monks.