Ugly factional feud within the state Congress on Friday once again came to the surface when a section of state leaders heckled a senior central leader and nearly disrupted a meeting which was organised to pass a resolution to authorise Congress president Mrs Sonia Gandhi to select the West Bengal Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) president and other officer bearers.
The meeting was convened by AICC general secretary incharge of PCC (organisation) Virendra Kat-aria who alleged that he was “heckled and humiliated”.
It was Mr Kataria’s observation about former Union information and broadcasting minister Priya Ranjan Das Munshi that triggered the storm. In his speech, Mr Kataria said: “Priya Ranjan Das Munshi aaj hamare darmiyan mein nahin hain (Priya Das Munshi is not in our midst today).”
Mr Das Munshi’s wife Deepa Das Munshi angrily protested and then followed a chorus of protests from her camp followers like Pradip Ghosh, Shankar Singh and Kanak Debnath.
Ironically, the infighting within the state Congress erupted only a day after AICC general secretary Rahul Gandhi’s state visit. During his three-day visit, Mr Gandhi repeatedly impressed upon the state party leaders and workers to work unitedly to strengthen the organisation. Mr Das Munshi has been bed-ridden since October 2008 after he suffered a heart stroke. “My statement was deliberately misinterpreted by Ms Das Munshi who instigated others to create disturbance in the meeting. She is feeling frustrated because she could not become the state president,” Mr Kataria said.
Incidentally, the leaders who raised angry protested are members of the dissident group which was up in arms against the appointment of Manas Bhunia as state party president. Most of them were sacked as district presidents by Mr Bhunia immediately after he took charge in July. They had met Mr Gandhi in New Delhi and voiced their grievances. Last week, they were summoned to Delhi where senior Congress leaders Pranab Mukherjee and Oscar Fernandes had assured them that they would be accommodated in the executive committee, PCC and AICC. They were, however, asked to take part in a PCC meeting on September 17 which would pass a unanimous resolution.
Following the script, former state working president Pradip Bhattacharya moved the resolution which was seconded by party MP A.H. Khan Chowdhury. All members raised their hands in support.