BENGAL CONG DIVIDED OVER TMC ALLIANCE

NEWDELHI: West Bengal Congress leaders appeared divided in front of party president Rahul Gandhi at a meeting on Friday on the question of alliance for the 2019 elections.

The dominant lobby led by state president Adhir Choudhury was a vocal opponent of any pact with Mamata Banerjee’s Trinamool Congress. Another section led by former Parliamentarians maintained that going with the Trinamool is “the only way to save the Congress”.

The Congress president spoke to all 36 leaders separately. State in-charge Gaurav Gogoi was present in these meetings.

“The Congress president normally meets state leaders in a group. The meeting in West Bengal was a rare instance when he met all leaders individually,” said a senior Congress leader.

Bengal Congress has suffered major jolts in the recent past as several leaders have joined rival TMC. The Congress is also fast ceding the Opposition space to the BJP, which has slowly emerged as the principal rival of the TMC. Choudhury said, “I told Rahul about the worsening situation of democracy in the state and how the Trinamool is trying to wipe off the Congress.”

Former MP Somen Mitra and parliamentarian Abu Hasnat Khan Chowdhury, however, maintained that there is an urgent need to go with TMC as “the Left parties don’t have any votes left with them”, party insiders said. Gandhi will take the final decision on alliance at an appropriate time, leaders familiar with the matter said.