Cong appoints Subhankar Sarkar as president of its West Bengal unit
New Delhi/ Kolkata (PTI): The Congress on Saturday appointed Subhankar Sarkar as the president of its West Bengal unit, replacing veteran leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury.
Sarkar has been relieved from his current position as AICC Secretary.
"The state Congress will function as the party workers in Bengal want," Sarkar said after the party's central leadership announced his appointment.
He also said the people's wishes would be the most important factor in choosing the future path for the Congress in the state.
In a statement, the party said its president Mallikarjun Kharge has appointed Sarkar as the chief of the West Bengal Pradesh Congress Committee with immediate effect.
The party appreciated the contributions of outgoing PCC president Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury.
Sarkar was the All India Congress Committee (AICC) secretary looking after the states of Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya and Mizoram.
Chowdhury, who had lost the 2024 Lok Sabha elections to TMC candidate Yusuf Pathan from his home turf Baharampur after five consecutive terms, had resigned as the president of the West Bengal Pradesh Congress Committee after the Parliamentary polls and the process of appointing a new chief of the state unit was underway.
The Congress leadership had taken feedback from state leaders on maintaining the balance in ties with the Trinamool Congress at the national and state levels, as well as on the choice of the next chief of the grand old party's West Bengal unit.
The Congress' state leadership, especially Chowdhury, has been at variance with the coordination and support seen between the Congress and the TMC at the central level.
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Lebanon pager blasts: Police verify Keralite's background; BJP leader demands his protection
Wayanad (Kerala) (PTI): Amid reports linking Rinson Jose, a Kerala native settled in Norway, to the probe into recent pager blasts in Lebanon, the Kerala police on Sunday confirmed a background check on his family, while a BJP leader referred to him as a "son of our nation" and demanded "protection."
"There is no case or investigation. Our special branch officials have carried out a background check. There is nothing new in it; such checks are conducted whenever similar news reports emerge," a police officer told PTI.
Another police official said that a "precautionary patrol" has been launched in the area near Mananthavady where his family resides following the reports. He said that his family has not requested police protection.
Rinson, who went abroad for a job a decade ago, is now a Norwegian citizen.
Meanwhile, BJP leader Sandeep G Varier called for protection for Rinson and his family.
"He is the son of our nation. He is a Malayali. At any cost, we must provide protection to Rinson and his family," Varier, a state committee member of the BJP, said in a Facebook post.
A relative of Rinson has said that he learned about the incident through the media.
His maternal uncle, Thankachan, said, "He grew up here in Wayanad and studied both here and outside Kerala. After completing his MBA, he left India 10 years ago. He had been studying abroad before joining a company. As far as we know, he is currently working for a company in Norway."
Rinson last visited Kerala in November of last year and left in January.
"We are not sure whether he runs his own business in Norway. His wife also works in Norway," Thankachan had told the media.
He said Rinson had called them two or three days before the news reports about him emerged.
"We are 100 per cent certain that he would not commit any wrongdoing," Thankachen had said.
He also appealed to the media not to put the family in a difficult position.
Asked about reports concerning a shell company being investigated by Norwegian authorities in connection with the Pager blasts, Thankachan responded, "Sorry, I have no information about that."
A neighbour of Rinson's family added, "There is nothing bad to say about him or his family. To us, their reputation is spotless.
