N Malda pick leads to a divided Cong

Statesman News Service

MALDA, March 27: The Congress in Malda is a divided lot, following the AICC's decision to nominate Miss Mausam Benazir Noor for the North Malda Parliamentary seat, bypassing her maternal uncle Dr AN Khan Choudhury.

Reacting to the development, Dr AN Khan Choudhury's close associate and Congress district general secretary, Mr Hassan Ali Shah, said today: “A group of Congress leaders, including local MLAs, created the problem by backing Miss Noor. No candidate has been finalised yet for North Malda.”

Supporters of Dr Khan Choudhury claim to have identified several leaders behind the conspiracy, including Mr Narendranath Tiwari, Mrs Sabitri Mitra, Mr Krishnendu Choudhury, Mr Asif Mehbub and general secretary Mr Samit Chatterjee.

“I have been supporting Miss Noor from the start. I believe she should be nominated for North Malda. I was against Dr Khan Choudhury due to his citizenship controversy,” said Mr Narendranath Tiwari, one of the general secretaries of the Malda district Congress.

Mr Tiwari, chairman of the English Bazaar Municipality and district Intuc president, was present with a large number of supporters to receive Miss Mausam Noor at Malda town station this morning.

“Miss Noor is definitely a better candidate,” claimed Mr Asif Mehbub, MLA of Kharba, while the Araidanga MLA Mrs Sabitri Mitra said: “I had campaigned for Dr AN Kahn Choudhury when the Congress district president Mr AH Khan Choudhury announced his candidature for North Malda. Being a Congress worker, I will campaign for Miss Noor now that the AICC has nominated her.”

Brushing aside all criticism against him, the English Bazaar MLA Mr Krishnendu Choudhury said: “Everybody will have to abide by the AICC's decision. If the AICC has nominated Miss Noor, she must be good enough. I am with the district Congress president.”

In the meantime, Dr AN Khan Choudhury has left for New Delhi to meet Mr K Keshav Rao and Mrs Sonia Gandhi to secure the North Malda ticket.

“Last night, Mr Rao asked my brother to come to New Delhi, bringing papers from the Switzerland government related to his citizenship. The leaders in New Delhi will review the status of his Indian citizenship and arrange a meeting with Mrs Sonia Gandhi. She will decide on the issue,” the district Congress president, Mr AH Khan Choudhury, said today.