Congress Divided Over Alliance With Muslim Cleric’s Outfit In Bengal

Kolkata:

A tender preacher and his fledgling party in Bengal is on the centre of an issue roiling the Congress and the Left-led coalition forward of the state election.

ISF (Indian Secular Entrance) leader Abbas Siddique, who’s widespread as “Bhaijaan” amongst his supporters, is a cleric from Furfura Sharif in Hooghly district, round 50 km from Kolkata. He’s a Pirzada of Furfura Sharif, which is the second one maximum respected Muslim pilgrimage after Ajmer Sharif. He’s identified to be a large crowd-puller.

It used to be his presence at a Left-Congress rally that activate a contemporary spherical of interior wrangling within the Congress.

Anand Sharma puzzled what Bengal Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury used to be doing at the level with the ISF leader. “Congress’s alliance with the ISF and equivalent events is going towards its core ideology, and the secularism advocated through Gandhi and Nehru, which is the soul of the Congress. Those problems will have to were mentioned through the Congress Running Committee (CWC),” Anand Sharma tweeted.

“Within the struggle towards communalism, the Congress can’t be selective. We should struggle towards communalism in all paperwork. The West Bengal Congress leader’s presence and give a boost to is shameful, he has to give an explanation for his stand,” he added.

Mr Chowdhury hit again at his party colleague, saying that he would now not take any step with out his management’s sanction.

On Sunday, alternatively, Mr Chowdhury appeared distinctly disenchanted when his speech used to be interrupted at a Left-Congress rally in Kolkata through the arriving of Siddique to loud cheers. The Bengal Congress leader stopped his speech.

CPM chief Md Salim perceived to recommend that Siddique will have to deal with the gang. Taking a look pissed off, Mr Chowdhury walked off. Some other Left chief, Biman Bose, then stepped in and advised the Congress chief to renew his speech.

Siddique has now not precisely been circumspect in his statements at the Congress. The day gone by, he advised a neighborhood channel that he have been advised some Congress chief used to be involved with each High Minister Narendra Modi and Mamata Banerjee and would in the end again whoever received, with a piece of Congress MLAs. This has been rubbished through the Congress.

In an try to pacify the Congress, Biman Bose mentioned Siddique had spoken out of flip and would now not repeat such feedback.

The BJP calls the Left and Congress’s alliance with Siddique “give up”.  The Trinamool has additionally focused each events, announcing they may be able to not declare secular credentials.

The Left insists that Siddique and his outfit aren’t communal.

Regardless that many within the Left are reportedly disenchanted concerning the tie-up, the management reportedly desires to capitalise on his pull.

As for the Congress, it’s divided in this topic even in Bengal. Abdul Mannan, Congress MLA and chief of opposition in Bengal, went over Adhir Chowdhury and proposed the tie-up to party leader Sonia Gandhi in a letter in January. 

Mr Chowdhury used to be reportedly unsatisfied with the transfer, since he selected to head gradual on any choice to workforce up with the cleric’s party.

His softening over the last few weeks is assumed to be a results of the highest management urgent for quicker growth on a tie-up.

Such is Suddique’s draw that during January, AIMIM chief and Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi flew to Kolkata and drove to Abbas Siddique’s house at Furfura Sharif to inform him that his party used to be keen to struggle underneath him in Bengal.

However Siddique has additionally been ambiguous concerning the AIMIM. 

In an interview to TTN NEWS in February, he mentioned he would really like both sides to struggle in combination to defeat Leader Minister Mamata Banerjee’s Trinamool Congress and the BJP, together with AIMIM.