Bhuiyan may skip next CLP meet on Saturday

Kolkata: A Congress Legislative Party meeting on Saturday may not ease the continuing battle of nerves between Manas Bhuiyan and Opposition leader Abdul Mannan. Chances are that Bhuiyan may skip the CLP meet called to take stock of the imbroglio following his appointment as Public Accounts Committee chairman instead of CPM's Sujan Chakrabarty.
"Yes, I urged our pradesh party president Adhir Chowdhury to have a meeting of the CLP.I sent a message to Chowdhury because I wanted him to ascertain if the decision of making Sujan the PAC chairman was taken in a CLP meeting. As far as I know there was no CLP meeting after the first meeting held on June 17. It is immaterial if I attend the meeting on Saturday or not," Bhuiyan said.
Bhuiyan is trying to build a case against Opposition leader Abdul Mannan who sounded out the party command about his PAC proposal without consulting CLP members. "I had no desire of becoming a member of the PAC even. It was Mannan who called me to his chamber and made me fill up the form. I didn't have an inkling of what was going to happen," the Congress MLA said.
Aware of assembly rules, Bhuiyan knows that taking him to task is a long haul for the CLP. "Appointing PAC chairman is the Speaker's prerogative. Convention says that it will go to the principal Opposition- Congress. I am a six-time MLA of the Congress. If someone wants to hand it over to CPM instead of keeping it to Congress then he owes an explanation," the Congress MLA said.
Opposition leader Abdul Mannan didn't respond to Manas Bhuiyan. "I have called the CLP meeting on Saturday," Mannan said. Citing the assembly convention since 1967, the Opposition leader pointed out how speakers honoured the Opposition leader's views while appointing a PAC chairman.
Mannan loyalists went a step ahead and accused Bhuiyan of flouting "Sonia Gandhi's decision" that the post should be given to the Left. But then, the matter goes beyond the scope of the CLP. The Pradesh Congress can take steps against Bhuiyan for flouting party decision. But then, there is no written directive from the AICC on this matter, and if so, the CLP members including Bhuiyan were not informed about it.
What's worse, the proposed boycott of the PAC with Bhuiyan at the helm will only give a permanent shape to the rift within Congress. "I am a Congressman. I didn't desert the party in my 45 years of political career. I have profound respect for Soniaji, Rahulji. I am confused. I want to know why the Opposition leader and other Congress members staged a walkout of the speaker's chamber after a Congressman was appointed PAC chairman," Bhuiyan said.