West Bengal Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury expressed his dissatisfaction with the party's high command over the way he was removed as the President of the West Bengal Congress Committee. Speaking to the press in Delhi, Chowdhury conveyed his uncertainty about the timing and manner of his removal, suggesting that the decision might have been made in advance and was communicated to him indirectly during a meeting on Monday.
Reflecting on the organizational structure of the Congress party, Chowdhury noted, "The day Mallikarjun Kharge became the party president, all other posts of the party in the country became temporary, according to the Constitution of the party. Even my post became temporary."
He recalled an earlier television statement by Kharge, which indicated the possibility of Chowdhury's exclusion. “While the election was underway, Mallikarjun Kharge said on television that if necessary I would be kept out, which made me upset,” Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury said.
Chowdhury acknowledged the disappointing results of the recent elections in West Bengal and took responsibility for the outcome. “Even though I was the temporary party president, it was my responsibility,” he said.
During a meeting held on June 21 in Kolkata, attended by Bengal Congress in-charge Ghulam Ahmad Mir and other Congress leaders, a resolution was passed to dissolve the working committee of the Bengal Congress, including the president's post.
Over a month after that, a meeting was held on July 29, and Chowdhury was taken aback when Mir referred to him as the "former president" during the meeting, which led him to realize that his removal had been finalized without prior notification.
Chowdhury further highlighted the lack of communication regarding his resignation. He said, "I had sent my resignation to Kharge ji, but no one informed me if it was accepted or not. Kharge ji didn’t reply to my letter. If accepted, I should be informed as per courtesy."
Ghulam Ahmad Mir, the AICC general secretary in charge of West Bengal, confirmed that Chowdhury had resigned as the president of the state unit following the Lok Sabha elections. The process of appointing a new chief for the West Bengal Congress Committee is currently underway.
