Mallikarjun Kharge to attend Mamata Banerjee rally: Bengal Congress says will not go soft against TMC

While senior Congress leaders will be present at West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s rally at the Brigade Parade Ground, state party leaders have said that it did not mean any softening on stand towards TMC.

Putting rest to all speculations and going against requests from West Bengal Pradesh Congress Committee (WBPCC) leaders, the All India Congress Committee (AICC) has said that senior Congress leader and leader of the party in Lok Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge will be present at the Brigade rally on January 19.

While some leaders within the WBPCC believes it has been a setback of sorts, state Congress president Somen Mitra, talking to DNA on Wednesday said, “They had informed us from the AICC last night about Kharge partaking in the rally and we had said ok fair enough.”

Congress MP and former state president Adhir Chowdhury also believes it has been a step taken after repeated requests from the TMC. 

“On a broader perspective, they had asked several times to send a Congress representative and thus he has been sent,” Chowdhury said talking to DNA. 

Asked if that was a signal for going soft against the TMC in Bengal, he said, “The question does not arise at all. Our fight against the TMC atrocities will continue and will be more intensified in Bengal.”

Ironically, another Congress Rajya Sabha member and senior lawyer Abhishek Manu Singhvi had represented TMC at the Supreme Court where the BJP plea to take out rath yatra in Bengal had been rejected. 

Chowdhury came down heavily against Singhvi calling him a mercenary. 

“Singhvi is a kind of person who is a lawyer first and all else later. For him the party has never been a priority and he will speak for anyone who pays him money,” Chowdhury added.

Sources within the party said that no one from WBPCC will attend the Mamata rally and added that Kharge himself was personally unwilling to attend the TMC rally and was doing so on the instruction of the AICC. 

However, senior state Congress leaders such as party MLA Abdul Mannan and Rajya Sabha member Pradeep Bhattacharya will be present at the airport to welcome Kharge. Before going to the rally venue, Kharge will spend some time at the Congress headquarters in Kolkata. Senior Bengal Congress leaders are expected to request him to deliver his speech at the rally keeping in mind the state Congress’ stand.