Calcutta, April 30: A section of Congress leaders appeared peeved about state unit chief Adhir Chowdhury's indecisive stand on today's strike at a time the other Opposition parties and several trade unions have separately taken part in it to protest alleged electoral malpractices.

These leaders pointed out that the party missed out on an opportunity to gain public support by backing a strike that was called against an issue that is "a matter of concern" for the Congress too. The leaders said participating in the strike would have helped boost the organisation in the aftermath of a decent performance in the civic polls.

"We should have extended support to the strike instead of neither backing nor opposing it. This indecisive stand has bared our social disconnect at a time the entire Opposition and even a vast section of people are agitated over Trinamul-sponsored terror and rigging in the civic polls," former Raiganj MP Deepa Das Munshi said this evening.

Deepa, who played a role in the Congress retaining the Islampur and Kaliaganj civic boards in her home district North Dinajpur, felt that had the party backed the strike, it could have helped it "gain popular support".

"We missed the opportunity by not extending support to the bandh. In fact, the state Congress chief's indecision would further alienate us from the people," she said.

Chowdhury had announced yesterday that the party would neither support nor oppose the general strike called by the Left Front and the BJP. The shutdown coincided with a 24-hour transport strike called by six trade unions against a central transportation bill.

Told about the resentment among a section of party leaders, Chowdhury said he had taken into consideration the party's "integrity".

"Had we backed the bandh, a section of people might have got an opportunity to link us with the Left. On the other hand, had we opposed the bandh, many might have interpreted it as the stepping stone to a future alliance with Trinamul. Keeping this in view, I took a stand taking into account the party's integrity," the state Congress chief said.

Several Bengal Congress leaders refused to buy the argument, saying the immediate concern for the party should have been to cash in on the strike to further consolidate the organisation.

"We feel the state unit chief took a decision on the strike on his own without consulting the high command. It appears that he could not reach senior leaders, particularly the party's all-India vice-president Rahul Gandhi, who is busy with Parliament work after returning from Punjab," an AICC leader in Delhi said.

Senior Bengal Congress leader Abdul Mannan, who does not see eye to eye with Chowdhury, felt the party was the "odd man out" because of the leadership's failure to join other Opposition parties, particularly the Left, to "protest state-sponsored terror and rigging" in the civic polls.

"When an issue involves the people's cause, we should back it, rising above politics," Mannan said.

"Had we clearly said we would support the strike, it would have helped us mobilise public opinion in the party's favour at a time Trinamul is trying to undermine our importance in the state," he added.

Senior Congress leader and former state Congress chief Pradip Bhattacharya raised another pertinent question.

"Our trade union, the Intuc, extended support to the general strike. Then what's the party's problem in doing the same?" he asked.