KOLKATA: The Congress on Friday gave the go-ahead to West Bengal Congress minister Manoj Chakraborty to quit the Mamata Banerjee ministry.
Chakraborty had expressed his wish to quit the ministry after publicly criticising Mamata during the height of the TC-Congress imbroglio.
“The high command has accepted Manoj Chakaraborty’s resignation,” state Congress president Pradip Bhattacharjee quoted Congress general secretary Shakeel Ahmed as saying.
Chakraborty, a minister of state, shot off his resignation to the AICC, after Mamata clipped his wings by taking away the MoS for Parliamentary Affairs and Small and Cottage Industries in a reshuffle.
He was instead given MoS for Food Processing. A Congress leader said Chakraborty was purportedly punished for his outspokenness and proximity to Mamata-critic Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury.
The Congress national leadership has conveyed that the party wasn’t willing to part ways with the TC ahead of the UP polls and Presidential and Vice-Presidential elections, while making clear its displeasure at the high-handed way in which Didi was running the alliance.
Political rumours of the Congress dumping its difficult ally and choosing the Samajwadi Party after the UP elections have been stymied for the time being.
“For the time being, we have been asked not to use harsh words against the TC, but we will continue with our agitation on specific issues and work on expanding our base ahead of the panchayat polls.