Cong gets a new interim-president

Bhattacharya joined Chhatra Parishad,the student wing of the Congress,in 1961,when he was pursuing his graduation in Bengali from Siuri Vidyasagar College in Birbhum District. He became so actively involved with CP during his post-graduation days in Burdwan University,that he was handed over the responsibility of the Burdwan University unit of Chhatra Parishad till 1964,when he passed out of the university. Later,Bhattacharya was elected the general secretary of the Burdwan Zilla Congress Committee.

In 1972,he became an MLA from Burdwan South constituency and was appointed as the Minister of State for

Labour and MOS (Independent Charge) of Animal Husbandry Department in the Siddhartha Shankar Ray government. In 1977,he was elected as the WB Congress general secretary and has held the post a number of times since then. He contested and won the parliamentary elections from Srirampur constituency in 1996.

In June 2010,Bhattachrya replaced Subrata Mukherjee as the president of West Bengal unit of the Indian National Trade Union Congress (INTUC). Mukherjee,who held the post for 23 years,left the party and joined the Trinamool Congress just before the municipal elections.

The appointment of the 64-year-old Bhattacharya is seen as a move to rehabilitate him beside many leaders were unhappy with the elevation of Manas Bhunia to the post of state Congress chief.

“My first task will be to strengthen the party’s base in Bengal. I will shortly visit districts including the 42 constituencies where we have won in the Assembly elections. I will hold meetings with the leaders and workers to know their problems,” Bhattachraya said,after the formal declaration about his appointment was made by Shakeel Ahmed in Delhi today.

Critics said the way in which Bhattacharya was removed to make way for Manas Bhunia as Bengal Congress chief was highly unjust.

“The high command had been looking for a key post for Pradip Bhattacharya to rehabilitate him. Bhattacharya too had conveyed his displeasure to Central leaders,” said a senior state Congress leader.

“A gentleman like him is rare in the political world. His allegiance towards the party is unmatched. He has been with Congress all through – in good as well as bad times. The party’s organisation in Bengal will be benefited with him as its head,” said veteran party leader Maya Ghosh.