West Bengal Pradesh Congress Committee’s new president, Subhankar Sarkar, is known as the party’s soft face. He has replaced former Lok Sabha MP Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, who has maintained a firm stand against the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) in the state.
A statement released by national general secretary K C Venugopal on behalf of the All India Congress Committee (AICC) on Saturday stated, “Hon’ble Congress president (Mallikarjun Kharge) has appointed Shri Subhankar Sarkar as the president of the West Bengal Pradesh Congress Committee with immediate effect. He has been relieved from his current position as AICC secretary. The party appreciates the contributions of the outgoing PCC president, Shri Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury.”
Congress sources said that before announcing the decision, Venugopal called Chowdhury and informed him that the top leadership of the Congress decided to make Sarkar the state president. A senior Congress leader said, “After Venugopal’s call, Adhir da stopped picking up phones.”
After taking on the responsibility of the party’s state president, Sarkar said, “I am starting from zero. I will talk to our workers, district, and block-level leaders, and then I will make any decision.” With the new appointment, Sarkar has been relieved from his current position as AICC secretary.
Meanwhile, reacting to Sarkar’s appointment, Chowdhury said, “I was not state president all the time. I remained a member of the Congress working committee and the party’s national election committee.”
After the Lok Sabha election, Chowdhury said he was now the acting president and that the party’s high command would choose a new president. A section of Congress leaders expected Chowdhury to be again chosen as state president even after his defeat in the Berhampore constituency in the Lok Sabha elections.
A senior Congress close to Chowdhury said that he is known for his hardcore anti-Mamata Banerjee stand and it will not be continued because Sarkar is comparatively a softliner. “Let us see, in this situation, what stand he (Sarkar) will take against the Trinamool Congress (TMC). After CPI(M) leader Sitaram Yechury’s demise, the INDIA coalition has become weak, and the relation of the CPI(M) with the Congress has also weakened. Naturally, the Congress will increase its relation with the TMC Trinamool Congress.”
Even after Chowdhury lost to TMC candidate and former Indian cricketer Yusuf Pathan, he continued his hard stand against the TMC. Chowdhury stated that he could remain silent while party workers were being beaten up and targeted by the ruling TMC in Bengal and that he would continue to be with such workers.
At that time, Congress’s central leadership was in discussions with around two dozen leaders from Bengal in Delhi about selecting a new state president and team. At the same time, the Congress leadership was reconsidering its relationship with the TMC in Bengal, as both parties were part of the alliance at the national level.
“The workers who have been fighting here day and night, hitting the streets with party flags in hand, Delhi (central leadership) should meet them too. One needs to know their opinion, too. They should also be called to Delhi,” Chowdhury had said in connection to a recent initiative by party central leadership to hold one-to-one meetings with 21 leaders from Bengal.
“ I will stand with such colleagues on the streets. I have never learnt to compromise with wrongdoing and injustice and will not do that,” Chowdhury had said.
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