Calcutta, Nov. 24: The rift in the Congress over Adhir Chowdhury is now in the open.

Former mayor Subrata Mukherjee took on former state party chief Somen Mitra and legislature party leader Atish Sinha for skipping the programmes to protest against the MP’s arrest. “This is not expected of senior leaders like Atishda and Somen.... The leadership wants everybody to rally behind Adhir in his hour of crisis,” Mukherjee said later.

Mitra said he could not participate in the agitation because of engagements in Cooch Behar, but Sinha, a known Chowdhury baiter also from Murshidabad, made no bones about his staying away. “Protests in support of a man in custody in connection with a double murder would tarnish the party’s image and send a wrong signal to voters before the Assembly polls,” the eight-time MLA from Kandi said.