After Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge rebuked West Bengal unit chief Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, asserting that he was “no one to decide” on Mamata Banerjee’s inclusion in the Opposition INDIA bloc, Chowdhury later responded that he could not welcome someone who seeks “to destroy Congress.”
Speaking to the media on Saturday, Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury said his fight is to save the West Bengal Congress.
“If someone will try to destroy Congress, I will oppose them. My fight is to save the West Bengal Congress; and being a party worker, I cannot stop this fight,” Chowdhury stated.
Last Wednesday, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had announced that she would support the INDIA bloc from the outside if it wins the Lok Sabha elections. Responding to her the next day, Chowdhury remarked that she can’t be trusted.
“I don’t trust her. She left the alliance and ran away. She can also go towards the BJP,” he said.
The Congress MP further added, “She is an opportunist leader and wants to extend support now as she knows the alliance is leading. She now understands that alliance support will help her… she is going to be isolated. What has triggered her to leave the INDIA alliance, she has not said anything about it until now.”
Responding to Chowdhury’s remarks on Saturday, Congress chief Kharge clarified that he has no authority to make decisions regarding whether Mamata and her party TMC should be a part of the India bloc.
“As far as Congress leader Adhir Ranjan’s remark is concerned, he is no one to decide anything. The top leaders and high command will decide that and those who won’t follow the same will be out of the party,” Kharge stated.
Banerjee, whose Trinamool Congress had decided to fight the Lok Sabha elections alone in the state after seat-sharing issues with the INDIA bloc, has said she will “provide outside support” to the opposition front if the BJP loses.
(With inputs from agencies)
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