New Delhi, Jan 12 (IANS) With the ruling alliance partners in West Bengal bitterly targeting each other, the Congress Thursday asked its state unit to refrain from using harsh words against the ally and also appealed to the Trinamool Congress to do likewise.

In order to find a solution to the ongoing tussle, the central leadership will discuss the issue on Jan 16 with state Congress committee chief Pradeep Bhattacharya and former PCC chief Manas Bhuiyan, a minister in the Mamata Banerjee government, said sources.

“We have asked the state leadership to avoid use of harsh words against the ally,” Congress general secretary in charge of the state Shakeel Ahmad told reporters.

“We also appeal to the local TMC leaders to do the same.”

Stating the Congress would like to keep the alliance, Congress sources said the recent flashpoints like renaming the Indira Bhavan in Kolkata, paddy procurement or attack on college principals, are all local issues, and efforts were on to convince the TMC leaders not to let these escalate.

However, Congress sources said their main concern is the spate of attacks on party offices at block level and forcible occupation by former Communist Party of India-Marxist hooligans, who have now joined TMC ranks.

Sources said the Congress PCC chief has listed around 60 such incidents in a recent letter to the chief minister.

The Congress sources said the party would be happy if an academy in the name of revolutionary, popular Bengal poet Kazi Nazrul Islam is opened at Indira Bhavan and a memorial to the late Indira Gandhi is maintained there.

In fact, the Congress state unit has suggested the government should open a Nazrul centre in each district and name the new secretariat building after the poet.