Congress Lawmaker Tears off Shirt to Make a Point in Bengal

Kolkata/Berhampore: Congress lawmaker Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury today tore off his shirt and dared the police to fire at him after they used batons to control his supporters during a 12 hour shutdown in Bengal's Murshidabad district.  "If you try to get photographed all the time, you could become a photo," chief minister Mamata Banerjee said in what Mr Chowdhury alleged was a threat.

The Congress had called the bandh to protest against the murder of a 21-year-old student activist in West Midnapore district on August 7.

The strike call had no impact in Kolkata, but in Murshidabad, a Congress stronghold, party men tried to stop government employees from entering office. The police used batons to disperse them.

Mr Chowdhury rushed to the spot, took off his shirt and dared the police to fire at him.

"A woman MLA has been thrashed. We are not here to do 'goondagardi', create terror, hurl bombs or open fire. We want to urge people to make our bandh a success. If they don't want to join, that's ok. But if police create terror, we are ready to face the bullets," he said.

As Mr Chowdhury's 'shirtless' pictures were beamed on TV channels, Mamata Banerjee told a party meeting, "Some people will do anything to get their pictures on TV. Now, some are even taking pictures in Sourav Ganguly style. What suits Sourav does not suit everyone." Her reference was to Mr Ganguly taking off his shirt and waving it at the Lord's in 2002.

As she hinted at Mr Chowdhury "becoming a photo", the Congress parliamentarian retorted: "Mamata Banerjee also tries to portray herself as Bengal's Mother Teresa but we know about her involvement with the Saradha scam. She has said one may become a photo while trying to create photos. What does she mean by that? That she will have me killed? Turn me into a photo? Let her try. I am not scared. You have become chief minister after turning many people into photographs."