His statements come at a time when the Bharat Joro Nyay Yatra is set to resume on Wednesday in Malda, where Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is also scheduled to reach as part of her North Bengal tour.
On January 24, Banerjee made it clear that TMC would fight alone in Bengal and that a call on cooperating with the INDIA bloc would be taken after the Lok Sabha polls. However, the Congress leadership sought to keep the door open, stating that Banerjee was an important part of the Opposition alliance.
The TMC leadership has blamed Adhir Chowdhury for the fissures in the alliance, in whose formation Banerjee played a key role. TMC number two and MP Abhishek Banerjee said on Monday that Chowdhury’s statements had driven a wedge between the parties.
Speaking in Murshidabad, Chowdhury raised the issue of corruption in the state. “In West Bengal we can all see who all are connected with corruption. If there is theft in West Bengal, shall I say it is not happening? In the murder case of Anish Khan (a youth in Howrah), no one was arrested. One has to go to court. In the case of schoolteachers not getting their jobs (school jobs scam), people went to court. In the case of not getting ration (ration scam)…. Now the court is ordering CBI and ED probes. Can’t we call people involved in corruption as corrupt people?” he told reporters.
“If they (the TMC) say that hurdles are being placed before Rahul Gandhi’s Yatra because of Adhir Chowdhury, I will step back. If that is what it takes to have a smooth Yatra I will do it,” he added.
Chowdhury alleged that the state administration was not cooperating with the Congress on the Yatra. “We expected disruptions in Manipur and Assam, but not in Bengal. Who tore up our poster and placards for the Yatra? Who is taking down our hoardings and posters?” he said.
“In West Bengal Rahul Gandhi cannot stay where he wants. He doesn’t want to stay in a five-star hotel, but in a place where everyone can stay. In Malda they are doing this. In Murshidabad we wanted to hold a rally in a stadium. We wrote a letter seeking permission to use the stadium. The district magistrate told me that he needs permission from higher-ups,” the Congress leader said. “We sought to book an irrigation department bungalow… Permission was denied.”
Chowdhury said government bungalows and stadiums are public properties and can be given to anyone for use. “In Siliguri, we sought permission for a rally. Police officers said they needed permission from higher-ups and never called back. Mallikarjun Kharge was scheduled to speak there. Who proposed the name of Kharge-ji as the prime ministerial candidate?” he went on.
TMC Rajya Sabha member Santanu Sen responded to the allegations. “It is Adhir Chowdhury who had targeted our party and party chief Mamata Banerjee on various occasions for months. Such statements are expected from him. Everyone knows who is trying to give an edge to the BJP in Bengal,” he said.