Kolkata, Jan 5 (PTI) The Congress is still grappling with the consequences of Mamata Banerjee's expulsion, which weakened its position in West Bengal, former state president of the party Pradip Bhattacharya said.

Bhattacharya, a former MP, said the then Congress state president Somen Mitra had expelled Banerjee in 1997 following instructions from the then party chief Sitaram Kesri due to her comments against the party line.

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He claimed that he had advised Mitra against the decision but said the pressure from the high command was immense.

Bhattacharya made the comments on Saturday in Kolkata at the unveiling ceremony of a bust of Mitra, who died in 2020.

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Speaking to PTI on Sunday, he said, "The expulsion weakened the Congress, and we are yet to recover from it. But to regain strength, we must stay united and follow the direction of our central leaders like Sonia Gandhi, Rahul and Mallikarjun Kharge."

Bhattacharya, who was the state president of the Congress from January 2011 to February 2014, said the party must focus on rebuilding its base.

Banerjee, who is now a three-term chief minister, formed the TMC in 1998 after being expelled from the Congress and led it to power, uprooting the 34-year government of the CPI(M)-led Left Front in 2011.

Bhattacharya's comments triggered a political row, which also affected the state Congress's internal dynamics.

Senior Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury questioned the timing of the comments, apparently hinting at its link to the upcoming Rajya Sabha elections in the state.

TMC leader Kunal Ghosh said, "He is correct. The Congress in the state was aligned with the Left Front, which contributed to its decline."

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)