Taking a U-turn from his earlier stance, Congress’s Adhir Chowdhury on Friday apologised to TMC leader Derek O’Brien for calling him a ‘foreigner’.
Taking to X, the senior Congress leader said, “I conveyed my regrets to Mr “Derek O’Brien for a word inadvertently uttered by me on him as foreigner.”
Sources said the TMC leader accepted the apology.
The tension between the two leaders started when CM Mamata Banerjee’s TMC announced that it would contest the election in West Bengal alone, hinting at a split from the opposition bloc – INDIA.
ON Thursday, Derek O’Brien directly blamed Adhir Ranjan for creating hurdles for seat-sharing talks between the two parties.
O’Brien said the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) had many detractors but only two — the BJP and Chowdhury — have repeatedly spoken out against the bloc.
O’Brien had on Thursday alleged that Chowdhury was working at the behest of the BJP.
“Three reasons for the alliance not working in Bengal – Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury and Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury,” O’Brien told reporters in Delhi on Thursday.
Responding to it, Chowdhury hit back saying, “Derek O’Brien is a foreigner, he knows a lot of things. Ask him.”
Chowdhury’s comment drew flak on social media.
Hinting at a split, Banerjee had told reporters on Wednesday, “I had given them (Congress) a proposal (on seat sharing) but they refused it at the outset. Our party has now decided to go it alone in Bengal.”
After Banerjee’s sudden comments, the Congress has adopted a conciliatory approach with Ramesh asserting that the opposition bloc INDIA “cannot be imagined without Mamata Banerjee”.
Ramesh also hailed Banerjee as the co-creator of the INDIA bloc and said she played a crucial role in making the opposition grouping a reality.
The grand old party also invited Banerjee to join ‘Bharat Nyay Yatra’ which is currently crossing through Bengal.
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