Kolkata:

The Congress’ Bengal boss, Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, on Thursday weighed in on the ‘is she, isn’t she’ debate over Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s membership of the INDIA opposition bloc.

Responding to her “… will provide outside support (if the group wins the election)” comment Wednesday, Mr Chowdhury declared, “I don’t trust her… she left the alliance. She can also go towards the BJP.”

“What she will do from outside (the alliance) or inside… I don’t know. That you have to ask her,” the Congress leader told reporters, “But I don’t trust her. She left the alliance… she could even run to BJP.”

Mr Chowdhury – there is little love lost between him and Ms Banerjee, a fact underlined by the latter yesterday explicitly stating “… INDIA alliance doesn’t count Bengal Congress…” – also said, “Whatever complaints she has (about the bloc) she should have raised earlier, when it was created.”

#WATCH | West Bengal: On CM Mamata Banerjee’s remarks “will support INDIA bloc from outside to form govt at Centre”, Congress MP Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury says, “I don’t trust her. She left the alliance and ran away. She can also go towards the BJP… They were talking about… pic.twitter.com/F3unHSUfD6

— ANI (@ANI) May 16, 2024

Mr Chowdhury further pointed out the apparent U-turn came after polling for nearly 70 per cent of all Lok Sabha seats, with the opposition bloc claiming big advances in its bid to oust the ruling BJP.

“They (referring to the BJP) were talking about destroying Congress and that Congress would not get 40 seats… but now (what) she is saying means Congress and INDIA are coming to power,” he said, appearing to suggest Ms Banerjee’s about-face followed a realisation the BJP will likely be defeated.

A day earlier Ms Banerjee – who had put her membership of the bloc on hold after public spats over seat-sharing deals – declared she would provide “outside support” in the event of an election win.

READ | Mamata Banerjee Redefines INDIA, Says Will Provide “Outside Support”

“We will give leadership to INDIA and help… from outside. We will form a government so our Bengal mothers and sisters… and those who work in 100-days job scheme do not face problems,” she said.

This afternoon, at a poll rally in Tamluk, Ms Banerjee underlined her position, saying, “I am very much part of INDIA… it was my brainchild. We are together at national level and will continue to be together.”

Ms Banerjee did, though, make it clear – yesterday and today – that she does not see the Congress’ state unit and the CPM, as allies. The Congress and the CPM, which is also part of the INDIA bloc, are allied in Bengal (but rivals in Kerala), but have fielded candidates against the Trinamool.

The Bengal Chief Minister has frequently attacked the Mr Chowdhury-led Congress unit, and the CPM, as having unofficially joined the BJP. “They are not with us… they are with the BJP here.”

Earlier this year, as the Congress was scrambling to confirm seat-share deals with INDIA allies ahead of voting for the 2024 Lok Sabha election, Ms Banerjee – seen as one of the group’s more cantankerous members – refused to play ball, insisting she would not give up more seats to that party than necessary.

READ | “No Tie-Up With Congress”: Mamata’s Bengal Twist Stuns INDIA Bloc

She pointed to the Congress’ abysmal record in the 2019 election – in which it won just two of 42 seats – and insisted her party had the best chance to defeat the BJP in the state.

Bengal has 42 Lok Sabha seats, of which the Trinamool won 22 last time and the BJP got 18, and Ms Banerjee reasoned the Congress simply did not have the clout to stop the saffron party in the state.

After a tension-filled few weeks in January and February, Ms Banerjee walked away from the bloc.

READ | “Even With Binoculars…”: Trinamool Sources On Congress’ 5-Seat Demand

Sources then told NDTV they could not find a third seat for the Congress “even with binoculars”.

This was after Ms Banerjee and the Congress’ Delhi unit failed to advance seat-share talks, and she hit out at what she said was a personal snub from Rahul Gandhi’s ‘Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra’.

The Congress then said the opposition “cannot imagine INDIA without Mamataji“.

READ | “Cannot Imagine INDIA Without Mamataji“: Congress On “No Tie-Up” Jab

Amidst all this back-and-forth, Mr Chowdhury continued to attack the Trinamool, declaring Ms Banerjee – a former member of the Congress – owed her state success to the party’s “mercy”. In fact, Mr Chowdhury was fiercely opposed to the idea of an alliance with Ms Banerjee and the Trinamool.

READ | Behind INDIA Jolt, Adhir Ranjan’s Obstinacy, Trinamool’s Regional Card

The battle for Bengal is one of several headline points, with the BJP keen on continuing to make inroads into the state after its success in the 2019 general election and the 2021 state poll. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah, and Ms Banerjee have all gone head-to-head on the campaign trail, with frequent sharp attacks on contentious topics like the citizenship law.

The state will continue to vote in each of the three remaining phases. Results are due on June 4.

With input from agencies

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New Delhi:

Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury’s “we have Proto Australoids… Mongoloid… Negrito (in India)” comment – referring to now-outdated racial and anthropological groupings of humankind – triggered a fresh row Thursday, a day after Sam Pitroda’s “North Indians look like white (people)… South Indians look like Africans” remark spawned a furious pushback from the BJP and accusations of disrespecting Indians based on skin colour.

“We have Proto Australoids, Mongoloids, (and) Negrito class of people. Hai to hai (It is how it is) … in the demography of our country, regional features are different. What someone said (referring obliquely to Mr Pitroda’s comment) is his opinion…” Mr Chowdhury said.

“But it is true some people are white…and some are dark,” the Congress leader said.

Mr Chowdhury’s statement – seen as an attempt to defend Mr Pitroda after his racist remarks – has been slammed by the BJP, with Shehzad Poonawalla also dredging up the row over the Bengal Congress boss’ comments about President Droupadi Murmu in July 2022. 

“It shows the words are from Sam Pitroda and the soch (way of thinking) is of the Congress. Calling Indians ‘Negrito’… Is this justifying comments by Uncle Sam (a jibe at the United States-based Mr Pitroda)? Is this why they did not sack him? Will they sack Adhir… who in the past said ‘rashtrapatni’ for Droupadi Murmuji?” Mr Poonawala raged.

Adhir Ranjan crosses the limits

In defending Sam Pitroda he calls Indians (Negro or Negrito/Negrita )
Safed, Kala !

Both words are offensive https://t.co/YSzE7DaJAX

It shows that the words are Sam Pitroda but soch is of Congress

Calling Indians as Chinese / African/… pic.twitter.com/9v0Uf0ChEd

— Shehzad Jai Hind (Modi Ka Parivar) (@Shehzad_Ind) May 9, 2024

The Congress has not yet responded to Mr Chowdhury’s comment.

On Wednesday an excerpt from Mr Pitroda’s interview with The Statesman was circulated online, in which he described India as a “… diverse country… where people in the East look like Chinese… people in the North look like, maybe, white (people) and people in the South look like Africans”.

READ | “South Indians Look Like Africans…”: Sam Pitroda Embarrasses Congress Again

The Congress distanced itself from the remark – which followed another equally controversial comment by Mr Pitroda about inheritance taxes – but not before it drew a furious response from Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who said the country “won’t tolerate disrespect on the basis of the colour of skin”.

READ | PM’s Retort To Sam Pitroda’s Racist Flub, BJP Leaders’ ‘Look Indian’ Posts

Repeating his “shehzade (prince)” barb for Mr Gandhi, he said, “Shehzade, you will have to answer. The country will not tolerate the disrespect of our countrymen on the basis of the colour of skin…”

READ | Sam Pitroda Quits After Landing Congress In New Mess Over Racist Remark

Hours after the comment Mr Pitroda quit as chief of the Congress’ overseas unit. Party comms boss Jairam Ramesh said the resignation was “of his (Mr Pitroda’s) own accord”.

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