Adhir

Calcutta, April 6: The Congress is contemplating disciplinary action against its MP from Behrampore, Adhir Chowdhury, who has put up Independent nominees against the party’s candidates in Murshidabad.

“Nobody is above the party. If Chowdhury fields independents against Congress nominees in his home town, he will invite disciplinary action,” defence minister and state Congress president Pranab Mukherjee told PCC office-bearers at a meeting today.

Chowdhury, who is the district Congress president of Murshidabad, has put up Manoj Chakraborty in Behrampore, Mir Alamgir in Hariharpara and Apurba Sarkar from Kandi against Congress nominees Mayarani Pal, Niamat Sheikh and Atish Sinha, respectively.

“All the three official candidates have been re-nominated by the AICC on the basis of recommendations from senior state leaders. So, we do not approve of Chowdhury’s decision to put up independents against them,” said PCC working president Pradip Bhattacharya.

A defiant Chowdhury said in Behrampore that he would not only put up Independent candidates against the three Congress nominees but would also campaign for them.

“Those who have strengthened the hands of the ruling CPM in the district by spreading canards against genuine Congress workers are enemies for us. Their re-nomination is an insult on the organisation we have built over the years,” he said.

Congress sources said the high command would find it difficult to take action against Chowdhury as he has the support of information and broadcasting minister and Raiganj MP Priya Ranjan Das Munshi.