CALCUTTA, January 23: The West Bengal Pradesh Congress Committee (WBPCC) is plagued by twin problems -- the threat from Mamata Banerjee's Trinamul Congress and the growing dissent within the party over allotment of tickets for the coming Lok Sabha elections.Expressing their dissatisfaction over the list of party nominees, some Congress workers are trying to build bridges to the Trinamul Congress while others have openly criticised the choice of nominees.
Former Union minister Priya Ranjan Das Munshi's decision to opt for Raiganj instead of his present constituency (Howrah) has upset local leaders. They have criticised the PCC for making an exception to the rule that all sitting MPs would be renominated from their present constituencies.
However, Das Munshi has taken care to enlist the support of A B A Ghani Khan Chowdhury, who is the party nominee from neighbouring Malda.
Senior PCC leader Zainal Abedin was reportedly hoping to get the Raiganj seat. However, he was denied the ticket on the grounds
that he had lost the Assembly elections in 1996. Following his rejection, Abedin had lobbied to make his son the Congress candidate from the constituency.
Abedin's meeting with Trinamul leader Pankan Banerjee yesterday and the reported threat by his son to contest as an Independent from Raiganj have complicated matters for Das Munshi.
Besides upsetting Congressmen, Das Munshi's change of constituency has also left them confused. "It is not palatable, even for his partymen, that he is not prepared to face people of the constituency which elected him last time," said a PCC leader. Das Munshi is the only Congress MP who has opted for a new constituency.
Admitting growing discontent within the party, Indian National Trade Union Congress (INTUC) general secretary Subrata Mukherjee, who is also the WBPCC vice-president, said: "Abedin was upset over Das Munshi getting the Raiganj seat. This has disturbed a lot of them". Although WBPCC general secretary Manas Bhuina ruled out any dissent in the party, a senior
PCC leader stated that "Abedin is not the only case, there are several more".
According to reports, Sardar Amjad Ali is another such discontented leader. After joining the Trinamul Congress, Ali returned to the party fold recently. He was hoping to be nominated for the Diamond Harbour seat. But with the party deciding to field another candidate there, Ali has been left hanging.
Meanwhile, the PCC leadership, which is trying to boost the sagging morale of party workers, is finding it difficult to cast off the shadow of the Trinamul Congress. The impression of a "weakened PCC without Mamata" has already been catching up with leaders and workers alike.
Senior PCC leader Pradyut Guha was certain the party would face the consequences of "shoving out Mamata so unceremoniously in an inopportune moment". He suggested that the PCC leaders should "bring back Mamata before it is too late".
INTUC general secretary Subrata Mukherjee added: "Let us have no doubt over the fact that Mamata's expulsion has weakened
the party's chances in the coming elections".
Copyright © 1998 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.
