Jalpaiguri: Internal strife erupts in Congress

Jalpaiguri: After the conclusion of Rahul Gandhi’s ‘Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra’ rally in Jalpaiguri, internal discord surfaced within the Congress, as party leaders penned a letter to All India Congress leader K C Benugopal, expressing grievances against the Jalpaiguri District Congress president.

Pradesh Congress secretary and Jalpaiguri Congress leader, Amit Bhattacharya, alleged that the district Congress committee had distanced itself from both the parent committee and the block committee. Rahul Gandhi’s ‘Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra’ rally unfolded in Jalpaiguri on Sunday, drawing a large crowd of Congress workers and common citizens. Following the rally, a positive atmosphere pervaded among Congress members in anticipation of the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. However, the revelation of the letter addressed to Benugopal raised questions about the party’s organisational issues. In the letter, Amit asserted that the district president had excluded them from discussions about ‘Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra.’ Despite a prior meeting in Maynaguri with the agenda in question, block presidents from Mainaguri, Dhupaguri, and Rajganj blocks were invited to the procession, sidelining district and state leaders. Given Rahul Gandhi’s pan-India leadership, his participation in the procession was significant. Moreover, the letter highlighted the aggressive stance of the ruling party during previous elections, with the Congress workers and leaders facing challenges, yet the issues remained unaddressed.

Conversely, some Congress workers contended that the district president had limited contact with blocks beyond two. This disconnect could significantly impact the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, potentially diminishing the fighting spirit of the workers.

Jalpaiguri district Congress president Pinaki Sengupta dismissed Amit Bhattacharya’s complaint, asserting: “There is no factional conflict in the party. Workers are enthusiastic as evidenced by the overwhelming turnout of workers and leaders at the ‘Yatra’

last Sunday.”