Besides Bhunia, many other Congress leaders are slated to join Trinamool
Kolkata : The state Congress suffered a jolt after former West Bengal Pradesh Congress president and Public Accounts Committee (PAC) chairman of state Legislative Assembly Manas Bhunia and another Congress MLA on Monday joined the ruling Trinamool Congress. After joining the Trinamool Congress, Manas Bhunia went to Nabanna – the secretariat where he met the chief minister and Trinamool Congress supremo, Mamata Banerjee.
[alert type=”e.g. warning, danger, success, info” title=””] Adhir Chowdhury and Abdul Manana had asked Manas Bhuina not to accept the post and they wanted the post to be offered to the leader of CPI(M) legislative party Sujan Chakraborty.[/alert]
Manas Bhunia, a Congress MLA from Sabong in West Midnapore was up in arms against the Pradesh Congress Committee chief and party MP Adhir Chowdhury and leader of the Opposition in the state Assembly Abdul Mannan for opposing his decision to continue as the PAC chairman. The Speaker of the West Bengal Legislative Assembly Biman Banerjee appointed Bhunia as the PAC chairman considering the Congress is the largest opposition party in the Assembly. The Speaker generally offers the post to the largest opposition party in the Assembly.
But both Adhir Chowdhury and Abdul Manana had asked Manas Bhuina not to accept the post and they wanted the post to be offered to the leader of CPI(M) legislative party Sujan Chakraborty citing the reason that Congress and Left parties had tied up before the West Bengal Assembly elections, held in May this year. But Bhuina refused to accept the whip of the party’s state president. The state leadership even lodged a complaint against Bhuina to the party chairperson Sonia Gandhi demanding removal of Bhunia from the post.
After joining the ruling party, Manas Bhunia told media persons that he had decided to join the Trinamool Congress.after having been inspired by the developmental works undertaken by chief minister Mamata Banerjee. It is learnt that some other Congress MLAs and party municipal councillors would also join the Trinamool Congress within a few weeks. Some councillors of Beharampur Municipality in Murshidabad, which is known to be a Congress stronghold, had already joined the Trinamool Congress last week and the civic body is now controlled by the Trinamool Congress. It is to be mentioned that Murshidabad is the hometown of present Pradesh Congress chief Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury.
Sources in the state administration said the chief minister Mamata Banerjee is most likely to induct Manas Bhuina in her cabinet. Bhuina was the minister of Mamata Banerjee’s cabinet in 2011 when the party had tie up with the Congress.
