Outrage over Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury s Derek O’Brien comments (image-twitter/adhirrcinc)

Trinamool Congress leader Derek O’Brien Thursday held West Bengal Congress chief Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury responsible for the alliance not working out between the two parties in West Bengal. Following the comment, Congress chief Adhir called Derek a ‘foreigner’ while speaking to the reporters. This has led to outrage over his comment.

While speaking to the reporters Thursday night, Adhir Ranjan said, “Derek O’Brien is a foreigner, he knows a lot of things. Ask him”.

Commenting on Adhir Ranjan’s remark, The ‘Wire’ journalist Rohini Singh wrote on X, “What a shameful, bigoted comment. How is he being allowed to spew such hate against minorities @RahulGandhi @kharge?”

What a shameful, bigoted comment. How is he being allowed to spew such hate against minorities @RahulGandhi @kharge? https://t.co/T2WQAS5tWY

— Rohini Singh (@rohini_sgh) January 26, 2024

While another journalist Prashanth Tandon wrote, “Congress must introduce a regular training program for its leaders to understand and how to articulate party”s ideology. Many of them are poor in gender and social sensitisation.”

The remark of the TMC leader came a day after West Bengal Chief Minister and Trinamool supremo Mamata Banerjee announced that the party will fight the Lok Sabha polls “alone” in the state. Mr O’Brien said the INDIA bloc had many detractors but only two BJP and Adhir Ranjan Chowdhary, have repeatedly spoken out against the bloc.

“After the general elections, if the Congress does its job and defeats the BJP on a substantial number of seats, the Trinamool Congress will very much be a part of the front that believes and fights for the Constitution,” Mr O”Brien told reporters.

In response to Bengal chief minister”s comment, Congress party general secretary Jairam Ramesh asserted that the opposition bloc INDIA “cannot be imagined without Mamata Banerjee”.