Diversity in unity

He said he wanted to bring squabbling party members together, but ended up evoking more dissent than approval. West Bengal Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) President Adhir Chowdhury announced a 12-hour state-wide bandh on August 20 to protest "the prevailing lawlessness in the state" and arrest "the regular exodus of functionaries to the ruling party". What irked several senior party leaders was the choice of date - it happens to be Rajiv Gandhi's birth anniversary and is celebrated by the party as Sadbhavana Diwas. Veteran Congress leader Abdul Mannan went as far as to "strongly condemn" the choice of date. "The PCC chief's unilateral decision to call a Bengal bandh on that day is unacceptable," he said.