Senior Congress leader P Chidambaram on Wednesday faced protests by a group of lawyers outside the Calcutta High Court for representing one of the respondents in a case filed against the West Bengal government, PTI reported.
The case had been filed by the state Congress unit chief Adhir Chowdhury.
The protesting lawyers claimed to be affiliated to the Congress and called Chidambaram an “agent of Trinamool Congress supremo and [West Bengal] Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee”, according to The Indian Express.
The case pertains to the sale of 46% stakes of Metro Dairy, a West Bengal-owned entity, to the private company Keventers Agro.
Chowdhury has alleged there was no transparency in the West Bengal government’s process to select Keventers Agro as the buyer. He claimed that after acquiring the 46% stakes, Keventers Agro had further divested those shares to another company at a higher price, The Indian Express reported.
On Wednesday, the protesting lawyers gathered around Chidambaram when he came out of the High Court. They raised slogans such as “Chidambaram go back”. Some also waved black flags and attempted to stop his car, according to NDTV.
Lawyer Kaustav Bagchi, one of protestors, said that it was unfortunate that a senior Congress leader like Chidambaram was standing by the Trinamool Congress.
“In West Bengal, thousands of party workers are attacked by the Trinamool Congress,” Bagchi said, according to The Indian Express. “I have told him [Chidambaram] that the Congress is in this condition today due to salable leaders like him. From now, we cannot recognise Chidambaram as a Congress leader.”
Meanwhile, Chowdhury said that the party members’ reaction was natural.
“I have heard that some Congress supporters present at Calcutta High Court protested,” Chowdhury said, according to PTI. “I believe this was their natural reaction.”
On being asked about Chidambaram fighting the case, he said that in a professional world one has the right to choose his or her options.
When contacted by PTI, Chidambaram refused to comment on the incident. “It’s a free country. I have no comments...Why should I comment on this,” he told the news agency.
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