Congress issues warning to leaders after party chief Kharge's poster defaced, vandalised in Bengal

NEW DELHI: The Congress issued a stern warning on Monday to those indulging in anti-party activities in West Bengal and asked its state unit to submit a report on acts of vandalising hoardings outside the party office in Kolkata.

A day after he snubbed West Bengal Congress chief Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury for questioning TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee's loyalty to the INDIA bloc, several posters and hoardings of Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge were defaced with ink in front of the party's state headquarters in Kolkata on Sunday.

Taking serious note of such acts, AICC general secretary, organisation, K C Venugopal said the party would not tolerate such "gross indiscipline".

"We are taking very serious note of such grave anti-party activities. The Indian National Congress shall not tolerate such public display of defiance and indiscipline. The general secretary in-charge of West Bengal is directed to immediately submit a factual report on these acts of gross indiscipline," Venugopal said in a statement.

He said it has been brought to the party high command's notice that a few office-bearers and workers of the party have made certain uncharitable remarks against Kharge in the media as well as on social media.

"Acts of vandalising hoardings outside the WBPCC office have also been carried out by certain miscreants. This has hurt the sentiments of millions of party workers and supporters," Venugopal said.

Unidentified persons also wrote "agent of Trinamool Congress" on Kharge's posters and hoardings in Kolkata.

Sources in the Congress said Chowdhury, who is in his hometown of Baharampur in Murshidabad district, expressed displeasure over the incident and asked the party workers to get a police complaint lodged, which was done and the defaced posters were also removed.

"This might have happened on Saturday night. This is the handiwork of the TMC, which wants to create differences between senior Congress leaders and Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury," a party leader alleged.

Kharge snubbed Chowdhury on Saturday while responding to a query on Banerjee's comment that if the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) of opposition parties forms the government after the ongoing Lok Sabha polls, she would support it from outside and Chowdhury's remarks that she cannot be trusted and that she might also go with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

"Mamata Banerjee is with the alliance. She has recently said that she will join the government. Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury will not take the decision. The decision will be taken by me and the high command, and those who do not agree will go out," Kharge had said.

He had also asserted that Chowdhury is no one to decide whether Banerjee would be part of the INDIA bloc in the event of the anti-BJP alliance coming to power.

Reacting to Kharge's comments and referring to the TMC supremo, Chowdhury had said, "I cannot speak in favour of someone who wants to finish me and our party in Bengal politically. This is a battle for every Congress worker. I have spoken on their behalf. I do not want the state Congress to be used for her (Banerjee's) personal agenda."