Congress' Bengal chief contradicts Rahul stance against raid on Rajeev Kumar

Taking a stand contradictory to the party's high command over the imbroglio involving the CBI, West Bengal state Congress president Somen Mitra Monday questioned why Kolkata Police commissioner Rajeev Kumar is avoiding interrogation by the central investigating agency in the chit fund scam. "If he (Kumar) is not in the wrong then why is he avoiding the CBI?" Mitra asked at a press conference here.

The state unit's position is a contrast to that of Congress president Rahul Gandhi, who had on Sunday called up Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and extended support to her. Banerjee is on an indefinite dharna in the city since last night, protesting against the CBI action, at the spot where she had sat on a 26-day fast against the acquisition of farmland for the Tata Motors project at Singur in 2006.

"The entire opposition will stand together and defeat these fascist forces," the Congress president had tweeted. Mitra, who was himself a member of the TMC from October 2009 to January 2014 and its MP, said "our (state Congress) fight against the BJP and the Trinamool Congress will continue" and questioned the timing of the CBI action.

This is the second time in less than a month that the Congress' state unit is seen to have taken a stand contradictory to the one by its high command. Mallikarjun Kharge, the leader of the Congress in the Lok Sabha, had attended the January 19 mega opposition rally organised by Banerjee here with a message from UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi but none from the state Congress had attended it.

The state Congress has, in fact, said that there cannot be any bonhomie with a party (TMC) which is poaching its MLAs and MPs. The latest to defect from the Congress to the TMC was the Malda North MP Mausam Benazir Noor, the niece of Congress stalwart ABA Gani Khan Chowdhury.

An all-out war broke out between the Centre and the Mamata Banerjee government on Sunday with the feisty West Bengal chief minister starting what she called 'Save India' sit-in to protest against CBI's attempt to question Kolkata Police chief Rajeev Kumar in chit fund scam. Banerjee had said that the CBI action stifled the spirit of "Constitution and federalism". She had also alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP national president Amit Shah was attempting a constitutional coup in the state.

(With inputs from agencies.)