Taking up the West Bengal assembly Public Accounts Committee chairmanship against his own party's wishes, senior Congress leader Manas Bhunia on Tuesday convened the maiden meeting of the committee and asserted he was answerable only to the party's highest leadership.
"I consider party president Sonia Gandhi and vice president Rahul Gandhi as my leaders. If they call me and ask for explanation, I will certainly go and explain them my stand," Bhunia said after the PAC meeting.
Congress and Left Front legislators skipped the meeting while the ruling Trinamool Congress assured extending all assistance to the PAC chairman.
Bhunia's move came on a day when he was handed over a letter by state Congress legislators asking him to resign from the post.
Rejecting the plea of Leader of Opposition Abdul Mannan, of the Congress, to appoint Communist Party of India-Marxist's Sujan Chakraborty, Assembly Speaker Biman Banerjee on July 4 announced Bhunia's appointment.
On July 8 Bhunia formally accepted his appointment the PAC chairman, claiming that he was "never officially informed about the party's stand". He however had admitted of having received informal requests by the party to quit the post.
Bhunia's continued defiance of the party attracted sharp reaction from state Congress president Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury.
"It seems he wants to become a martyr. It is choice if he wants to be so but to remain in the party he has to follow the party discipline," said Chowdhury who earlier had personally urged Bhunia to step down as the PAC chief.
--IANS
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