The Congress on Monday said it has taken a “very serious note” of “grave anti-party activities” in West Bengal and sought a “factual report” from its state unit on acts of vandalising hoardings outside the party office in Kolkata and on remarks made against party president Mallikarjun Kharge by some of the unit’s office-bearers and workers.
In balancing act, Congress warns Bengal unit, then Kharge praises Adhir Ranjan
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“We are taking very serious note of such grave anti-party activities. The Indian National Congress shall not tolerate such public display of defiance and indiscipline,” Congress general secretary, organisation, KC Venugopal said in a statement on Monday. “The general secretary in-charge of West Bengal is directed to immediately submit a factual report on these acts of gross indiscipline.”
The move came after several posters and hoardings of Kharge in front of the Congress headquarters in Kolkata were defaced on Sunday, a day after the party president contradicted West Bengal unit chief Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury over the latter’s remarks that Trinamool Congress (TMC) chairperson Mamata Banerjee cannot be trusted . The remark “agent of Trinamool Congress” was scribbled on Kharge’s posters and hoardings in Kolkata. The TMC is part of the opposition’s INDIA bloc although the party and the Congress do not have an alliance in West Bengal.
Venugopal said it has been brought to the party high command’s notice that “a few office-bearers and workers of the party have made certain uncharitable remarks against Kharge in the media as well as on social media”.
“Acts of vandalising hoardings outside the WBPCC [West Bengal Pradesh Congress Committee] office have also been carried out by certain miscreants. This has hurt the sentiments of millions of party workers and supporters,” Venugopal added.
On Saturday, Kharge asserted that Chowdhury, the five-time Lok Sabha MP from Bahrampur is not the person who will decide whether Mamata Banerjee would be part of the INDIA bloc or not.
Following Banerjee’s comment last week that the TMC would support an INDIA bloc government from the outside, Chowdhury commented that she cannot be trusted and that she might also go with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
“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 in response.
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But a defiant Chowdhury stuck to his stance against the TMC chief. “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 (Mamata Banerjee’s) personal agenda. If Kharge ji speaks against my views, I will continue to speak for Congressmen at the grassroots in the state.” He blamed Banerjee for destroying the Congress and its partner, the Communist Party of India (Marxist) in the eastern state.
