Congress disapproves Sibal representing Mamata Government in court

Kolkata, Jan 21 (IANS) The Congress central leadership has disapproved senior party leader Kapil Sibal representing the West Bengal government in a petition in the Supreme Court concerning the CBI probe into the Saradha scam, a party leader said Wednesday.

Expressing its anguish, the party's West Bengal unit led by its former president Pradip Bhattacharya met the central leadership, including C.P. Joshi, the party general secretary and in-charge of the state.

"Central leaders, including Joshi, have asserted that the sentiments of Bengal unit should be honoured and they have disapproved Sibal's action," said Bhattacharya.

"We are happy that our sentiments have been considered by the central leadership and now the misunderstanding that was creeping in will be removed," he said.

The Congress' state unit has been demanding Sibal's removal from the party and Monday taken out a protest march. It also wrote to party president Sonia Gandhi and vice-president Rahul Gandhi with its grievances.

Congress West Bengal unit president Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury said Sibal's decision was sending a wrong message to the people.

"Because of this, a wrong message is being conveyed that the Congress was cozying up to the Trinamool Congress. We had drawn the attention of Sonia and Rahul Gandhi and if the central leadership can deter him from reprinting the Banerjee government it will be good for us," said Chowdhury.

Famed painter Samir Aich, who contested the Lok Sabha polls on a Congress ticket, quit the party over the issue.

Filed by the Banerjee government and the Trinamool, the petitions seek the intervention of the apex court alleging that the CBI was acting as an "instrument" of the central government and targeting Trinamool leaders.

Probing the multi-crore rupee scam, the Central Bureau of Investigation has arrested several Trinamool leaders, including Transport Minister Madan Mitra, and has summoned party general secretary and former railways minister Mukul Roy for questioning.