Adhir attends Cong meet on nat’l issues, state poll strategy
Times of India | 14 August 2024
Kolkata: Pradesh Congress chief Adhir Chowdhury on Tuesday attended a meeting of AICC general secretaries and state presidents convened by party national president Mallikarjun Kharge in New Delhi, putting to rest, for the time being, speculation about a change in state brass.
Tuesday’s meet, attended by leader of opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, discussed national issues including the Hindenburg report, inflation and caste census, as well as strategies for states facing assembly polls in the next two years.Significantly, Kharge — to whom Chowdhury had earlier tendered his resignation — invited the Pradesh Congress chief to attend.
Chowdhury will on Wednesday hold an organisational meeting at the party’s Bengal headquarters, Bidhan Bhavan — the first since the Lok Sabha polls. All state and district functionaries have been invited. Pradesh Congress netas indicated that some restructuring may be carried out at the district level. Chowdhury has also asked for protests to be organised over the RG Kar Medical College and Hospital rape-murder. Following the LS results, AICC brass had held a series of meetings with Bengal netas to draw up a new committee for Congress in the state. The party general secretary in charge of Bengal, Ghulam Ahmed Mir, had said discussions were held with nearly 25 people to choose a new unit.
Kharge’s invitation to Chowdhury at this juncture scotches rumours about Congress getting a new high command in Bengal.