Berhampore: Senior Congress
leader and local strongman Adhir Chowdhury on Friday accused
Trinamool Congress of having played a "game of numerical
autocracy" in finalizing seat-sharing for West Bengal assembly
polls.
"TC has played a game of numerical autocracy. In 24
Parganas, North Medinipur, everywhere we have been offered (by
Trinamool) a single seat. The reason being cited is that we
are weak in all those districts. By the same token, can`t we
argue that Murshidabad district being our stronghold, they
should have consulted us before staking claim to four assembly
segments"? Chowdhury, a known critic of Trinamool, said.
The outspoken Congress Lok Sabha MP questioned TC`s
decision to offer Congress "only a single seat" in many areas.
Trinamool Congress has done this in the "garb of an
alliance. They don`t have the strength to ask for four seats
from this district because earlier results ranging from Gram
Sabha to Lok Sabha have shown that they do not have any
existence here", he said.
A day before Murshidabad and some other districts of the
state go to poll, Chowdhury asked Trinamool Congress to
withdraw its candidates from the district if it wanted to make
an "honourable dent" in CPI(M) mass base.
"I have told Trinamool leadership that for the sake of
alliance, and as they are playing the `big brother`, they
should be magnanimous in their attitude. They should withdraw
their candidates if they want to defeat CPI(M). Otherwise,
Trinamool won`t be able to do anything, they will not be able
to make an honourable dent in this district also," Chowdhury
said.
Congress is contesting in 18 of the 22 assembly seats in
Murshidabad district and TC in four.
Chowdhury is reportedly backing four Congress rebels
against Trinamool Congress in Sagardighi, Bhagabangola,
Hariharpara and Jalangi. Congress has so far suspended 12
rebel candidates who have filed nominations as independents
against official party nominees of Trinamool Congress-Congress
alliance.
In the 2009 Lok Sabha elections, Congress had taken a
lead in all the 22 assembly segments of three parliamentary
constituencies.
In the 2006 too, Chowdhury had backed two rebels
against Congress candidates, two of whom were later taken
back into the party-fold.
Asked if he was not worried about inviting the wrath
of Congress high command by criticising TC, Chowdhury said
"I have already said that you can do anything against me but I
am not going to budge even an inch from my declared stand...
"See, I am a Congress worker. I belong to Congress party.
So, it is the Congress party of Murshidabad district that has
decided", he said.
In Murshidabad, "Congress cannot be taken for granted.
Riding on the alliance bandwagon, we cannot give away our
party which has grown up here by the sweat and blood of the
Congress party. ... So, we cannot put everything we have at
Trinamool`s disposal for the sake of alliance".
PTI
