Alva: What scene!

Calcutta, Feb. 14: A Youth Congress leader was today roughed up by Big Brothers in the party in the presence of Margaret Alva, who came to gauge the mood in the Bengal Congress unit ahead of the Assembly elections.

An amused and annoyed Alva, the AICC general secretary in charge of Bengal, apparently reacted saying “this is why we cannot beat the CPM” in Bengal.

Bappa Ghosh, a former south Calcutta Youth Congress president was first shoved out of a PCC executive committee meeting and later assaulted by Congress supporters who apparently favour an alliance with Mamata Banerjee.

Around 12.55 pm, when Alva was about to wind up the meeting convened to discuss the possible pact with the Trinamul Congress at the state party headquarters, Ghosh entered the venue. He wanted to impress upon her that sitting MLAs should not be sacrificed for the sake of the alliance as in 2001.

Alva spoke to Ghosh and also accepted a letter from him, but executive committee members who saw him as an intruder showed him the door.

When Ghosh came down to the ground floor of the office, a gang pounced on him.

He later alleged that he was attacked in the presence of former state Congress chief Somen Mitra. “He threatened me saying my eyes would be gouged out if I dared to come back,” Ghosh said.

Ghosh also said the “pre-planned attack” was the fallout of his opposition to MP Adhir Chowdhury’s arrest. “I belong to the faction owing allegiance to information and broadcasting minister Priya Ranjan Das Munshi,” he declared.

Mitra and his supporters had earlier stayed away from street protests against the Behrampore MP’s arrest.

Ghosh has lodged a complaint with Alva against “some key Congress functionaries”.

Mitra denied the allegations. “Instead, I reprimanded those who tried to assault Bappa. I left for Chinsurah after that and do not know what happened next,” he added.

The state Congress working president, Pradip Bhattacharya, regretted the incident. “Ghosh, as a Youth Congress worker, should not have entered the meeting venue. But the attempt to assault him is condemnable.”

Alva, who left for Delhi this afternoon, is likely to call on Mamata tomorrow.