Bengal Congress chief Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury took a veiled dig at Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee, saying he cannot speak in favour of a person who “wants to finish me politically and our party” in the eastern state, news agency PTI reported.
His comment came hours after Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge rebuked Chowdhury, asserting that he is no one to take a decision on whether Banerjee should be a member of the Opposition-led INDIA bloc.
“I cannot speak in favour of someone who wants to finish me politically and our party in Bengal. This is a battle for every Congress worker. I have spoken on their behalf,” Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, who is Congress’s Baharampur candidate and faces Trinamool Congress’s Yusuf Pathan in the Lok Sabha elections, said.
The Congress candidate said his opposition to Mamata Banerjee originated from his principled stance and there is no personal resentment. “There is no personal grudge, but I question her political ethics,” Chowdhury said.
On Kharge’s remarks about him, Chowdhury said, “I don’t want the state Congress to be used for her (Mamata Banerjee) personal agenda and then finish the organisation. If Kharge ji speaks against my views, I will continue to speak for Congressmen at the grassroots in the state.”
Earlier, Chowdhury said that the Bengal Chief Minister cannot be trusted as she ran away from the INDIA bloc and could join hands with the BJP. He also alleged that Mamata Banerjee had sought Maoists’ help to discredit the Left in Purulia, Bankura and Jhargram districts of Bengal and then abandoned them.
On Saturday, the Congress chief disapproved Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury’s remarks about Mamata Banerjee at a joint press conference with Shiv Sena (UBT) President Uddhav Thackeray and NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar in Mumbai.
“Mamata Banerjee is with the alliance. She has recently said that she will join the government. Adhir Ranjan Chowdhary will not take the decision. The decision will be taken by me and the high command those who don’t agree will go out,” Kharge said.
Trinamool Congress leader and party spokesperson Kunal Ghosh has also responded to Kharge’s statements, saying the clarification and rebuttal to Chowdhury should have come much earlier than now when the election atmosphere is at its peak.
“Mamata Banerjee had made it clear that TMC is and will continue to be a part of INDIA Alliance. Bengal Congress and Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury are repeatedly attacking Mamata Banerjee and giving oxygen to the BJP. Mallikarjun Kharge should have said this earlier,” Ghosh told news agency ANI.
Last week, Mamata Banerjee clarified that her party remains a part of the INDIA bloc and that the Trinamool Congress would extend support to the Opposition-headed coalition from outside to form the government at the Centre. However, Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury said that Banerjee “left the alliance and ran away”.
The Trinamool Congress is contesting all the 42 Lok Sabha seats in Bengal, while the Congress and the Left are jointly fighting.
Aisha Patel is a dedicated Indian correspondent with a deep understanding of the nation’s diverse affairs. With a background in Indian culture, politics, and current events, she provides in-depth analysis and timely reporting on domestic issues within India.
