New Delhi: Days after expressing disapproval over his questioning of TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee’s trustworthiness, Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge on Monday praised West Bengal Congress Chief Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, describing him as a “combative soldier” of the party.
Last week, Kharge had reprimanded Chowdhury, a five-time Lok Sabha MP from Bahrampur, for his remarks suggesting that Banerjee cannot be trusted and might align with the BJP.
“He is our combative soldier,” Kharge said of Chowdhury, who has since intensified his criticism of the West Bengal Chief Minister, accusing her of using violence to suppress the Congress in the state and aiding the BJP.
When asked if the Congress was repeating the mistake it made in 1998 when Banerjee left the party to form her own in protest against the Congress’s perceived weakness in confronting Left “atrocities” on party cadres in Bengal, Kharge told PTI, “I do not wish to comment on an individual. He is a combative soldier of the Congress party and our leader in West Bengal.”
Kharge also addressed the issue of the Congress alliance with the Left, which some TMC leaders have recently criticized. He stated, “They are trying to present it differently, but it will not succeed. The Congress party is strong and cohesive. The Congress high command has decided to form a coalition with the Left, and we are proceeding with that plan.”
The TMC is contesting the Lok Sabha elections independently in West Bengal, while the Congress and the Left are running a joint campaign.
On Saturday, Kharge had dismissed Chowdhury’s criticism of Banerjee during a joint press conference with Shiv Sena (UBT) President Uddhav Thackeray and NCP (SP) Chief Sharad Pawar in Mumbai. He remarked, “Mamata Banerjee is part of the alliance. She has recently confirmed her intention to join the government. Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury does not make these decisions. The high command and I will decide, and those who disagree will have to leave.”
Chowdhury responded to Kharge’s comments by saying, “I cannot support someone who aims to eliminate me and our party in Bengal politically. This is a battle for every Congress worker. I have spoken on their behalf. I don’t want the state Congress to be used for her (Banerjee’s) personal agenda and then dismantle the organization.”
Following Kharge’s remarks, several posters and hoardings of the Congress President were defaced with ink outside the party’s state headquarters in Kolkata on Sunday. Chowdhury expressed his displeasure over the incident and urged party workers to file a police complaint.
Initially, Banerjee had indicated she would provide external support to the opposition front INDIA after it came to power. However, she later confirmed her active participation in the anti-BJP alliance at the national level and her intention to form the next government with it. Despite this, Banerjee has accused the state units of both the CPI(M) and Congress, who are part of the alliance, of collaborating with the BJP in West Bengal. In January, the TMC withdrew from the INDIA bloc in West Bengal.
