New Delhi. Amid the row between Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and Bengal Congress chief Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury in Kolkata over the party’s ties with TMC, Kharge’s photographs were defaced with black ink at the state Congress building. Several hoardings with photographs of prominent Congress leaders including Kharge have been put up in front of Vidhan Bhawan in Kolkata. On Sunday, Kharge’s pictures were inked on these hoardings, while the pictures of Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi remained untouched. Upon discovering this, Congress workers immediately removed the defaced hoardings and banners.
The controversy started when Mamata Banerjee recently said in a public rally that she would support the India Bloc government from outside if it came to power at the Centre. In response to this, Adhir Ranjan Choudhary commented that Mamata Banerjee cannot be trusted because she can go with BJP. When asked about this, Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge confirmed that Mamata Banerjee is associated with the alliance and has expressed her intention to join the government. Kharge emphasized that he and the party high command, not Adhir Ranjan Choudhary, would take decisions and those who disagreed would have to go.
When Adhir Ranjan Choudhary was asked about Kharge’s statement, he said that he cannot support someone whose aim is to destroy him and the party politically in Bengal. He stressed that this is the fight of every Congress worker and he spoke on their behalf. Chaudhary said that his opposition to Mamata Banerjee stems from her principled stance and not from personal interest. He clarified that he has no personal grudge against him, but has questions on his political ethics.
Mamata Banerjee had said that if India Bloc forms the government after the Lok Sabha elections, then her party will support this government from outside. He said that BJP claims that it will win 400 seats, but people believe something else. Banerjee assured that TMC will support the formation of a national government that will ensure that there are no problems for mothers and sisters in Bengal and that participants in the 100-day job scheme do not face any hurdles.