New Delhi, Dec 3 The Congress leadership is raising issues far removed from the interests of common citizens, playing into the hands of the ruling party — both in West Bengal and the Centre — misguided and mismanaged by a group close to the top echelons, lamented a veteran leader in the state party unit.
Abdul Mannan was the last Leader of Opposition in West Bengal Assembly (2016–2021) from the Congress party. His bitterness reportedly arises from a series of incidents where he had to pay the price for his strong opposition to the state’s ruling Trinamool Congress, and the religion he follows.
Despite the misgivings, he still expresses loyalty to the Gandhi family.
“You’ve to admit that the Gandhi family still attracts crowds which no state leader can ever match; but that number (present in a rally) doesn’t translate into votes,” alleged Mannan.
“How do you explain ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’ to the common citizen? People ask if the country is physically divided that you intend to bring it together? Why not rather raise mundane issues, like price-rise and unemployment?” he asked.
The 78-year-old Congress leader raised similar questions over “Nyay Yatra” and “Samvidhan Bachao Yatra” among other programmes lately pursued by the party.
He blamed “unknown, inexperienced” faces being picked to represent the party at the national level and put at the helm of affairs, resulting in such decisions. Incidentally, another Congress veteran in adjoining Bihar resigned recently, raising similar issues.
Shakeel Ahmad, who has twice represented the Madhubani constituency in Lok Sabha and has been a minister, expressed dissatisfaction with the current state of Congress.
He too raised the issues of party management and appointment of senior leaders. Ahmad has also expressed his belief that it is difficult for experienced leaders to survive in the party without facing humiliation.
And despite his resignation, he maintains his unwavering faith in the Congress party’s principles.
Mannan too reiterated his support for party ideology despite the current situation.
However, he has paid the price for his bitter opposition to the Trinamool and for his religion.
In a bizarre turn of events, after nominating him for Rajya Sabha from West Bengal, the Congress asked Mannan to withdraw his candidacy in March 2012.
While the official reason cited was that the party did not have enough MLAs by itself to ensure his victory, the cause also lay elsewhere. At that time, the Congress was in alliance with Mamata Banerjee’s Trinamool Congress in West Bengal.
The Trinamool had far more MLAs, and the Congress was struggling to maintain influence. Instead of bargaining for one seat, the party chose to support Trinamool candidates to avoid earning Mamata’s ire.
When reminded, Mannan stated that he acceded “as a disciplined soldier of the Congress” following “directions from my party’s leadership”.
In recent times, the Congress reportedly took a similar step in replacing its Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) President Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury with Subhankar Sarkar.
While the former, who has represented the state’s Baharampur Lok Sabha constituency five consecutive times before losing it last year, is also seen as a Mamata baiter.
While Sarkar, reportedly, can be malleable.
One of Mannan’s close confidantes had claimed that he was never made the PCC chief due to his religion where the Congress High Command assumed that such a decision will be raised, especially by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), as “Muslim appeasement”.
A former Congress general secretary, he added, had even commented once that everyone (from Congress) will join the BJP if Manan was given the job. Mannan chose to ignore confirming or denying it.
Instead, he said that in 2005, he told Indira Gandhi in front of top central leadership representing the state that despite SC, ST, and minorities reposing their faith in the Congress not a single party frontal organisation is led by their representative.
According to him, the Gandhis listen to logic, but are inaccessible due to mechanisms of others. “The party is at crossroads, it is moving away from the masses and their needs,” he sighed. Shouldn’t he be turning to greener pastures like many of his former colleagues? “I’ll always be a ‘Congressman’, anywhere,” was the emphatic answer.
(Auto generated news from IANS Feed. This has not been edited by enewstime desk)
