Will not oppose Trinamool unnecessarily says new Bengal Congress president

The new State Congress president Subhankar Sarkar said that his primary job is to strengthen the party and not to concentrate on whether the party should go with the Left parties and Trinamool Congress.

A day after being appointed as president of the West Bengal Pradesh Congress Committee (WBPCC), Subhankar Sarkar on Sunday (September 22, 2024) said that he would not oppose Trinamool Congress unnecessarily.

The appointment of Mr. Sarkar as the State Congress chief marks the end of the era of Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, who was known for his vocal criticism of the Trinamool Congress. “For me, Trinamool is a political party. If the party is able to protect the democratic space in the State, then I will not unnecessarily oppose Trinamool Congress,” Mr. Sarkar told a Bengali News Channel.

The new State Congress president said that his primary job is to strengthen the party and not to concentrate on whether the party should go with the Left parties and Trinamool Congress.

Mr. Sarkar addressed a press conference at the State Congress Headquarters Bidhan Bhawan and said that he will continue to work in consultation with senior leaders and former State Congress presidents Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury and Pradip Bhattacharya. “We will work on the path shown by our leader Rahul Gandhi and not be afraid of anyone and also not intimidate anyone,” he said.

The Congress has won one Lok Sabha seat out of the 42 seats in the State in the recently concluded Lok Sabha polls. While Congress’s Isha Khan Choudhury won from Malda Dakshin, Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury lost Baharampur to Trinamool’s Yusuf Pathan. The Trinamool Congress leadership had blamed Mr. Chowdhury for not being able to reach an electoral understanding with the Congress in the Lok Sabha polls. 

The change of guard at the State Congress also poses the question of the future of the Left-Congress alliance in the State. Both parties have been in an electoral alliance since 2016, though the arrangement has not given much electoral success to both the parties.

Meanwhile, Mr. Chowdhury on Sunday (September 22, 2024) hit the streets, protesting against the Trinamool Congress government on the rape and murder of a doctor at R.G. Kar Medical College and Hospital. Mr. Chowdhury, who along with other Congress leaders and supporters, participated in a march in Howrah district continued to target the State’s ruling party over the law and order situation in the State.

Published - September 22, 2024 10:14 pm IST