Severe differences surface in Bengal Cong over understanding with TMC in INDIA alliance

Kolkata: Severe differences in the West Bengal unit of Congress have started surfacing over the issue of an understanding with the Trinamool Congress at the national level in the perspective of the grand opposition forum of Indian National Development Inclusive Alliance (INDIA).

The differences have started surfacing over a comment made by the state party president in West Bengal and the five- time Lok Sabha member, Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, who is himself one of the vocal voices against his party having an understanding with Trinamool Congress.

“If India is like a ‘river’, West Bengal is like a ‘pond’. So in the current situation we are compelled to give more emphasis on that river rather than the pond,” Chowdhury said.

In reaction, state Congress leader and Calcutta High Court counsel Kaustav Bagchi issued a social media post indirectly ridiculing the party’s state president on his reference of “river” and the “pond”.

“I do not understand the concepts of river and pond. All I can understand is that the state Congress cannot continue to be treated as a guinea pig in the interest of New Delhi. For us Trinamool Congress will continue to be a party of thieves. For us Trinamool Congress will continue to be the political force which is responsible for the slaughter of democracy in West Bengal,” Bagchi said in his social media post.

Already in face of rumblings of discontent among the grassroots- level party workers, the CPI(M) central committee has announced that the concept of INDIA-alliance will not be applicable for the party in West Bengal context. Now it is to be seen whether the Congress high- command too makes a similar announcement on this count considering the growing rumbling among the leadership of the party in West Bengal.

Earlier too Bagchi had been vocal a number of times against Congress’ national leader and high- profile advocates like P. Chidambaram and Abhishek Manu Singhvi for holding briefs on behalf of the West Bengal government as well as top Trinamool Congress at the Supreme Court and the Calcutta High Court.

–IANS