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Making its intent clear to take its estranged ally Trinamool Congress head-on in the coming Lok Sabha election, the Congress high command today appointed arguably the party's most outspoken Mamata-baiter, Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury as chief of the state Congress in West Bengal.
Chowdhury, who is also minister of state for railways, will replace Pradip Bhattacharya as West Bengal Pradesh Congress Committee president. "The high command has assigned me this job. I will do to the best of my abilities to make Congress strong in the state," he said.
Adhir Chowdhury along with state Congress leaders like Deepa Dasmunshi, Shankar Singh have always been vocal against Mamata Banerjee even at the time of alliance with TMC while Pradip Bhattacharya, Manas Bhuinya had been more soft on TMC and had made efforts to keep the alliance alive at the state level.
Pradip Bhattacharya, too, was humble in his reaction noting, "Adhir Chowdhury can be more aggressive in countering TMC. I may have some limitations, but Adhir being young and aggressive he will be ale to enthuse the workers. I will cooperate with him in all possible ways."
Also, Adhir Chowdhury, Congress MP from Murshidabad district, is known to be close to Somen Mitra, who made a comeback to TMC to join Congress recently.
While Chowdhury welcomed Somen Mitra recently saying, "the tiger is back", it was Mitra's turn today to give it back.
"In 1996, I nominated Adhir Chowdhury for assembly election, which was fiercely opposed by Mamata then. Today's decision shows I picked the right person that day. I wholeheartedly welcome this decision to appoint Adhir as state Congress chief," Mitra told Business Standard.
"The party is in a crisis and Adhir is the right person to lead the party," he added.
Indeed, Adhir Chowdhury has a difficult task at hand even to retain his own seat in 2014, as TMC has made headway in traditional strongholds of Congress in norther part of the state.
Three Congress MLAs---Krishnendu Narayan Chowdhury, Humayun Kabir and Ajoy De have left Congress and joined Trinamool Congress after the last Assembly polls.
After TMC snapped ties with the Congress in 2012, there has been mass defection from the Congress to TMC.
In the last six months, about a dozen of civic bodies in districts like Birbhum, Nadia, North 24 Paraganas which were held by Congress, has now been taken over by TMC riding on defection.
Chowdhury, who is also minister of state for railways, will replace Pradip Bhattacharya as West Bengal Pradesh Congress Committee president. "The high command has assigned me this job. I will do to the best of my abilities to make Congress strong in the state," he said.
Adhir Chowdhury along with state Congress leaders like Deepa Dasmunshi, Shankar Singh have always been vocal against Mamata Banerjee even at the time of alliance with TMC while Pradip Bhattacharya, Manas Bhuinya had been more soft on TMC and had made efforts to keep the alliance alive at the state level.
Pradip Bhattacharya, too, was humble in his reaction noting, "Adhir Chowdhury can be more aggressive in countering TMC. I may have some limitations, but Adhir being young and aggressive he will be ale to enthuse the workers. I will cooperate with him in all possible ways."
Also, Adhir Chowdhury, Congress MP from Murshidabad district, is known to be close to Somen Mitra, who made a comeback to TMC to join Congress recently.
While Chowdhury welcomed Somen Mitra recently saying, "the tiger is back", it was Mitra's turn today to give it back.
"In 1996, I nominated Adhir Chowdhury for assembly election, which was fiercely opposed by Mamata then. Today's decision shows I picked the right person that day. I wholeheartedly welcome this decision to appoint Adhir as state Congress chief," Mitra told Business Standard.
"The party is in a crisis and Adhir is the right person to lead the party," he added.
Indeed, Adhir Chowdhury has a difficult task at hand even to retain his own seat in 2014, as TMC has made headway in traditional strongholds of Congress in norther part of the state.
Three Congress MLAs---Krishnendu Narayan Chowdhury, Humayun Kabir and Ajoy De have left Congress and joined Trinamool Congress after the last Assembly polls.
After TMC snapped ties with the Congress in 2012, there has been mass defection from the Congress to TMC.
In the last six months, about a dozen of civic bodies in districts like Birbhum, Nadia, North 24 Paraganas which were held by Congress, has now been taken over by TMC riding on defection.
