He added, “There were some people in the party who were like asymptomatic Covid-19 patients. We tracked their activities and identified them. We are happy to get rid of such viruses who had betrayed the party in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. They have been sabotaging the party since the past few months. Recently, Saumitra Khan [former TMC MP] said Adhikari helped him win the Lok Sabha polls from Bishnupur seat on a BJP ticket in 2019. This goes to show how he betrayed the party. He was an asymptomatic betrayer.” On December 19, Adhikari joined the BJP during Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s rally in Medinipur along with nine MLAs, five of them from the TMC.