New Delhi: West Bengal Congress chief Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury on Friday claimed that his party is not being given permission for organising some public meetings as part of the Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra in the state, news agency PTI reported.
"In some places, we are facing roadblocks as we are not getting permission to organise public meetings, citing exams. The Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra has faced problems in the Northeast, including Assam, and now it is facing problems in TMC-ruled West Bengal as well," PTI quoted Chowdhury as saying.
The Congress leader further said that the schedule for the yatra was submitted to the state administration long back but despite that, the party didn’t get permission for some public meetings.
"We were denied permission to hold a public meeting in Siliguri. We expected better cooperation from the state government. Anyways, the route and the itinerary of the Yatra remain the same except for a few changes," Adhir Chowdhury told the news agency.
The Congress veteran also asserted that the party’s outreach campaign was aimed at “safeguarding” the fundamental rights provided by the Constitution and had nothing to do with the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.
His remarks came amid an impasse over seat-sharing in Bengal after Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee vowed that TMC would go it alone in all the seats in the general elections.
Speaking on the Bharat Jodo Nyay yatra, the ruling TMC, however, said that the state administration is free of political influences.
"Adhir Chowdhury is responsible for the INDIA alliance falling apart in West Bengal. Secondly, all opposition parties conduct programmes in the state, nobody faces any problems. The administration must have taken the decision as there are board examinations in schools," PTI quoted TMC leader Santanu Sen as saying.
Notably, the Congress Yatra, which kicked off in Manipur on January 14, entered West Bengal from Assam on Thursday, and took a two-day break. It will resume on January 28.