New Delhi, Sep 19 — NCPI MP Saayoni Ghosh on Saturday reacted to the arrest of Congress-nominated Nandigram Assembly bypoll candidate Milan Pradhan, saying that she was aware that there were some pending cases against the leader. She also said that she hoped there would be a Trinamool-Congress alliance.
“As far as I knew until yesterday about the leader who became their candidate from the Congress, there were some pending cases. Now look, this is politics, and in politics, what decisions can be taken before the election and what can be done, is between the two parties,” Ghosh said.
She added that anyone could approach the Election Commission or the court over the matter, stressing that in a democracy, Congress, the Trinamool Congress and the BJP were all free to exercise their democratic rights.
Ghosh also expressed hope that the Congress would ally with the Trinamool Congress under the leadership of Rahul Gandhi.
“I hope that under Rahul ji’s leadership, Congress allies with TMC. If this happens, it will send a big message that this alliance is a genuine alliance in the true sense, and not just for the sake of saying it,” she said.
Her remarks came after Congress-nominated candidate Milan Pradhan was arrested in connection with an old murder case in West Bengal’s Purba Medinipur district on Friday evening. The arrest came hours after former chief minister Mamata Banerjee announced that her party would support Pradhan after its candidate withdrew from the Nandigram bypoll contest.
Pradhan was arrested a day before the September 19 deadline for filing nominations. Police sources said he was allegedly involved in the murder case and that an arrest warrant had been issued against him.
Banerjee questioned the timing of the arrest and alleged that it reflected the BJP’s “politics of vendetta”. In a post on X, she said, “Minutes after we extended our support to the Congress candidate for the bypoll in Nandigram, the Congress candidate Milan Pradhan was arrested.”
Meanwhile, West Bengal Minister Dilip Ghosh, commenting on Congress and Trinamool, said that political parties are formed to grow and that losing elections does not mean a party disappears.
“See, why does someone form a political party? So that it grows. Don't we lose elections? We don't win everywhere in every election. Our party does lose, right?” he said.
Dilip Ghosh further said that while some individuals may move from one political party to another, the party itself does not disappear. He added that this, according to him, happens with Congress and parties originating from its political culture.