Bengal Congress slams Sharad Pawar

Kolkata, Sep 28 (IANS) West Bengal unit of Congress on Thursday slammed NCP chief Sharad Pawar for his advice to state Congress president and five-time Lok Sabha member Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury to maintain restraint in criticising Trinamool Congress supreme and Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.

Pawar’s observation was that the continuing bitterness between Banerjee and Chowdhury is not desirable and the latter had a bad habit of constantly using harsh words about the chief minister.

"This is not right and should be stopped," Pawar said.

Reacting to his comments, Chowdhury claimed whatever the NCP leader had said was from his own perspective which does not reflect the ground reality in West Bengal.

"In West Bengal, Trinamool Congress is the 'oppressor' and Congress is the 'oppressed'. So here we are acting based on the relations between an 'oppressor' and the 'oppressed'. I cannot speak of the national perspective. I am speaking on a political situation that is relevant for West Bengal," Chowdhury said.

State Congress leader Soumya Aich Roy also claimed that the NC leader is speaking without having any clear understanding of the ground realities in West Bengal.

The CPI(M) leadership too has backed Chowdhury over this development.

According to the party’s central committee member Dr Sujan Chakraborty, if the NCP leader really thinks that Trinamool Congress is genuinely anti- BJP, he should allow TMC to contest from a couple of seats in Maharashtra. "Does the NCP leader have any answer as to why a faction in his party led by his nephew broke away and joined hands with BJP," he wondered.