'I was not even informed': Congress removes Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury as Bengal unit president

In a major reshuffle, Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Friday removed party's West Bengal unit president Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, replacing him with Somendra Nath Mitra. Chowdhury has been appointed as the chairman of the state campaign committee. 

Political analysts feel that Chowdhury was removed as West Bengal Congress Pradesh Congress president for his staunch anti-Mamata Banerjee view. While Chowdhury had been pushing for an alliance with the Left Front in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, he raised questions each time the Congress' central leadership tilted towards the Trinamool Congress. 

When the matter of panchayat polls reached the Supreme Court and Congress' state unit was a party to it, senior party Abhishek Manu Singhvi had represented the state of West Bengal in the apex court. Chowdhury had openly criticised the move by the central leadership. 

Chowdhury defiant

The Berhampore MP said he was not informed by the central leadership about his removal. He also expressed reservations in taking up the post of chairman of the party's state campaign committee.

"I was not even informed by the central leadership about my removal. On six occasions I had personally told Rahul Gandhi that if he feels that the state leadership is not doing well, he may as well remove me. I am not saddened by my removal but I only feel that I should have been informed. I have always stood my ground and will continue to do so," Chowdhury told Zee Media over the phone from Berhampur, Murshidabad. 

"I would tell them (the AICC) to appoint someone else as chairman of that committee," he was quoted as saying by PTI. When asked whether he would continue in the Congress, Chowdhury declined to reply.

Rumours are rife that Chowdhury is in touch with some senior leaders of the BJP. 

In a major shake-up ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, Rahul Gandhi appointed Mitra as West Bengal Congress president, replacing Chowdhury, who was made the chairman of the party's campaign committee in the state, according to an AICC statement.

Pradip Bhattacharya has been named the chairman of the party's coordination committee in the state.

Gandhi also named four working presidents of the West Bengal Pradesh Congress Committee - Sankar Malakar, Nepal Mahato, Abu Hasem Khan Chowdhury and Deepa Dasmunsi. 

Who is Somendra Nath Mitra

Mitra was the chairperson of the Pradesh Congress Committee in Bengal between 1992 and 1998. During his tenure, Mamata Banerjee, who was a part of the Congress, quit the party and formed the Trinamool Congress. During the 1998 Lok Sabha elections, Congress managed to secure only one seat. 

In 2008, he quit the party and formed the Progressive Indira Congress in 2008. 

In 2009, he joined the Trinamool Congress and contested the general elections on a Trinamool Congress ticket from the Diamond Harbour seat and won. In 2014, Somen Mitra returned to Congress after resigning from the post of TMC MP.  

Political analysts also feel that Mitra's appointment could be a strategy by the Congress central leadership to make way for a pre-poll alliance with the Trinamool Congress ahead of the 2019 polls as Mitra would take a softer stance on Mamata Banerjee. 

However, Mitra after taking over as the PCC President on Friday said that the Congress must distance itself from the Trinamool Congress.