Kolkata, March 31 Amid the recent protests by a section of UK-based Indians during West Bengal Chief Minister, Mamata Banerjee’s speech last week at Oxford University’s Kellogg College, a prominent youth leader of the Trinamool Congress, on Monday accused the party of being silent over the issue.
He accused a section of the Trinamool Congress leaders and elected representatives of being silent over the insult to the party supremo during her overseas trip.
“I request the elected representatives and the party leaders to speak out on the insult of the supreme leader. Remember you are all now either an elected representative or holding important positions because of the concurrence of the supreme leader and her party. You became a known face among the people or have been elected because of the recognition given to you by the supreme leader,” youth Trinamool Congress leader and incharge of the party’s Information Technology cell in West Bengal, Debangshu Bhattacharya, said in a statement issued on Monday.
He claimed that remaining silent in times of crisis was tantamount to betraying the party. He questioned why only a few within the party always speak on any issue and get trolled.
“Only a few of us will always fight. Only a few of us will always speak on any issue and subsequently get trolled. Even we have our families. So we could have also remained silent. If we did not escape then, why are you escaping now?
“If you wanted to remain silent, then why did you choose to contest and get elected as representatives in panchayats, municipalities, Assembly and Parliamentary constituencies?” Bhattacharya questioned.
He also claimed in his statement that he had never shown such an “escapist attitude” in any moment of crisis.
“Whether during the unnecessary harassment of our leader Abhishek Banerjee by the central agencies or on the issue of the R.G Kar tragedy, I could not remain silent. So I could not remain silent on what happened at Oxford,” Bhattacharya claimed.
Political observers feel that Bhattacharya, being a prominent face of the Trinamool Congress section backing the “fresh blood” theory in the party has probably targeted the "old guard,” faction, amid the internal debate within the party on “fresh blood versus old guard” which has surfaced for quite some time.
However, the Opposition forces have claimed this is the same old strategy of Trinamool Congress leaders to try to show loyalty towards the Chief Minister before any election.
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