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NEW DELHI: The Congress leadership faces a difficult situation in West Bengal as it desperately tries to strike a balance between its own defiant “Ladaku Sipahi” Adhir Ranjan Choudhary, who heads the grand old party in the state, and his bete noire in state politics Mamata Banerjee, who is a key partner of opposition’s INDIA bloc at the national level.
Adhir, who is a vocal critic of Mamata Banerjee, got his way when the Congress did not enter into an alliance with the Trinamool Congress for the Lok Sabha elections the state and instead decided to contest with the Left parties.
The state Congress chief, who is a five-time Lok Sabha MP from Bahrampur, has often put the party’s national leadership in an embarrassing situation with his outbursts against Mamata Banerjee who is with the grand old party as part of INDIA, opposition’s anti-BJP alliance. The Congress has mostly ignored his vicious attacks much to the disappointment of Trinamool leaders who have accused the grand old party’s central leadership of doing nothing to restrain its state leader.
But the “Lakshman Rekha” was breached when some state Congress leaders and workers targeted Mallikarjun Kharge and defaced his poster in front of the party’s state headquarters with ink. The trigger was Kharge’s strong rebuff to Adhir after the state Congress chief questioned Mamata’s loyalty to the opposition’s INDIA bloc. Adhir had said that Mamata could not be trusted and she could even join hands with the BJP.
Mamata, who had initially said she will extend outside support to the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) of opposition parties if it comes to power, has subsequently said she is very much part of the anti-BJP coalition at the national level and would form the next government at the Centre with it.
Kharge acted fast this time and admonished Adhir last Saturday. “Mamata Banerjee is with the alliance. She has recently said that she will join the government. Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury will not take the decision. The decision will be taken by me and the high command, and those who do not agree will go out,” Kharge said. The Congress chief also asserted that Chowdhury is no one to decide whether Banerjee would be part of the INDIA bloc in the event of the anti-BJP alliance coming to power.
However, despite the strong remarks of Kharge, Adhir did not budge over his stand against Mamata.
“I cannot speak in favour of someone who wants to finish me and our party in Bengal politically. This is a battle for every Congress worker. I have spoken on their behalf. I do not want the state Congress to be used for her (Banerjee’s) personal agenda,” Adhir said reacting to Kharge’s outburst.
Meanwhile, taking serious note of “anti-party activities” in the state, Congress has sought a report over the acts of indiscipline. KC Venugopal, general secretary (organisation) issued a stern statement on Monday. “We are taking a very serious note of such grave anti party activities. The Indian National Congress shall not tolerate such public display of defiance and indiscipline. The general secretary in charge of West Bengal is directed to immediately submit a factual report of these acts of gross indiscipline,” a statement by Venugopal read.
According to sources in the Congress, Chowdhury, who is in his hometown of Baharampur in Murshidabad district, expressed displeasure over the incident and asked the party workers to get a police complaint lodged.
In its complaint to the state police, West Bengal Congress said some group of unidentified miscreants yesterday defaced “the images of Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge with black ink in multiple banners across state including the one displayed in front of the gate of Pradesh Congress Headquarters, Bidhan Bhavan”.
However, two days after his strong remarks, Kharge, in a surprising turn on Monday, once again heaped praised on Adhir and called him a “ladaku sipahi” (combative soldier) of the grand old party. The Congress chief also blamed some Trinamool leaders of trying to drive a wedge between the two parties.
“I do not want to speak about an individual. He (Chowdhury) is a combative soldier of the Congress party and is our leader in West Bengal,” Kharge said and added that some Trinamool Congress (TMC) leaders are now trying to rake up the issue of the Congress’s alliance with the Left but it will not work.
“They are trying to present it differently. But it will not happen like this as the Congress party is strong and understands each other. What has happened in West Bengal is that the Congress high command has taken a decision to have a coalition with the Left and we are moving forward with that,” Kharge said.
For the Congress, the happenings in Bengal brings with it a strange sense of deja vu that perhaps makes the party uncomfortable. In 1998, Mamata Banerjee had quit the Congress to form her own party to protest the grand old party’s inaction in the face of Left “atrocities” on party cadres in Bengal.
Nearly, 26 years later, Adhir is singing the same tune. The only difference is that the government is of Mamata Banerjee and the Left is now with the Congress. Will the grand old party change its stand vis-à-vis Mamata. Well, it would most likely depend on the results of Lok Sabha elections on June 4. Till then, it is perhaps happy to use its “Ladaku Sipahi” to keep the pressure going on Mamata.
Adhir, who is a vocal critic of Mamata Banerjee, got his way when the Congress did not enter into an alliance with the Trinamool Congress for the Lok Sabha elections the state and instead decided to contest with the Left parties.
The state Congress chief, who is a five-time Lok Sabha MP from Bahrampur, has often put the party’s national leadership in an embarrassing situation with his outbursts against Mamata Banerjee who is with the grand old party as part of INDIA, opposition’s anti-BJP alliance. The Congress has mostly ignored his vicious attacks much to the disappointment of Trinamool leaders who have accused the grand old party’s central leadership of doing nothing to restrain its state leader.
But the “Lakshman Rekha” was breached when some state Congress leaders and workers targeted Mallikarjun Kharge and defaced his poster in front of the party’s state headquarters with ink. The trigger was Kharge’s strong rebuff to Adhir after the state Congress chief questioned Mamata’s loyalty to the opposition’s INDIA bloc. Adhir had said that Mamata could not be trusted and she could even join hands with the BJP.
Mamata, who had initially said she will extend outside support to the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) of opposition parties if it comes to power, has subsequently said she is very much part of the anti-BJP coalition at the national level and would form the next government at the Centre with it.
Kharge acted fast this time and admonished Adhir last Saturday. “Mamata Banerjee is with the alliance. She has recently said that she will join the government. Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury will not take the decision. The decision will be taken by me and the high command, and those who do not agree will go out,” Kharge said. The Congress chief also asserted that Chowdhury is no one to decide whether Banerjee would be part of the INDIA bloc in the event of the anti-BJP alliance coming to power.
However, despite the strong remarks of Kharge, Adhir did not budge over his stand against Mamata.
“I cannot speak in favour of someone who wants to finish me and our party in Bengal politically. This is a battle for every Congress worker. I have spoken on their behalf. I do not want the state Congress to be used for her (Banerjee’s) personal agenda,” Adhir said reacting to Kharge’s outburst.
Meanwhile, taking serious note of “anti-party activities” in the state, Congress has sought a report over the acts of indiscipline. KC Venugopal, general secretary (organisation) issued a stern statement on Monday. “We are taking a very serious note of such grave anti party activities. The Indian National Congress shall not tolerate such public display of defiance and indiscipline. The general secretary in charge of West Bengal is directed to immediately submit a factual report of these acts of gross indiscipline,” a statement by Venugopal read.
According to sources in the Congress, Chowdhury, who is in his hometown of Baharampur in Murshidabad district, expressed displeasure over the incident and asked the party workers to get a police complaint lodged.
In its complaint to the state police, West Bengal Congress said some group of unidentified miscreants yesterday defaced “the images of Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge with black ink in multiple banners across state including the one displayed in front of the gate of Pradesh Congress Headquarters, Bidhan Bhavan”.
However, two days after his strong remarks, Kharge, in a surprising turn on Monday, once again heaped praised on Adhir and called him a “ladaku sipahi” (combative soldier) of the grand old party. The Congress chief also blamed some Trinamool leaders of trying to drive a wedge between the two parties.
“I do not want to speak about an individual. He (Chowdhury) is a combative soldier of the Congress party and is our leader in West Bengal,” Kharge said and added that some Trinamool Congress (TMC) leaders are now trying to rake up the issue of the Congress’s alliance with the Left but it will not work.
“They are trying to present it differently. But it will not happen like this as the Congress party is strong and understands each other. What has happened in West Bengal is that the Congress high command has taken a decision to have a coalition with the Left and we are moving forward with that,” Kharge said.
For the Congress, the happenings in Bengal brings with it a strange sense of deja vu that perhaps makes the party uncomfortable. In 1998, Mamata Banerjee had quit the Congress to form her own party to protest the grand old party’s inaction in the face of Left “atrocities” on party cadres in Bengal.
Nearly, 26 years later, Adhir is singing the same tune. The only difference is that the government is of Mamata Banerjee and the Left is now with the Congress. Will the grand old party change its stand vis-à-vis Mamata. Well, it would most likely depend on the results of Lok Sabha elections on June 4. Till then, it is perhaps happy to use its “Ladaku Sipahi” to keep the pressure going on Mamata.
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