Thaindian News

Kolkata, July 7 (IANS) The number of “so-called political leaders having no spines” is growing, a post on West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s Facebook profile said Saturday, triggering a debate i npolitical circles about the target of her attack.

“Nowadays, I’m not surprised when I see growing numbers of so-called political leaders having no spines. In my opinion, it has become a potential area of doing research work on this aspect,” the post read.

The post said lack of ideals, courage and links with roots of common people had led to leaders becoming weak and afraid to fight for the cause of common people and reveal the truth.

As television channels picked up the post and started speculating whether Banerjees diatribe was aimed at Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram or the Congress as a whole.

Two days back, during a day’s visit to the city, Chidambaram had virtuallysnubbed the Banerjee administration, saying inter-party clashes were continuing in West Bengal, and added that a “bullet for bullet” scenario had no place in a democracy.

The remarks came as Banerjee’s relations with alliance partner Congress is also strained over a host of issues including the presidential polls and her failure to get a financial package from the central government.

Responding to the post, Congress leader Nirbed Roy was sarcastic.

“She has made a very correct analysis of her own party. Earlier also she had expressed her concern over her party’s condition,” he said.

State Municipal Affairs Minister Firhad Hakim said the post was aimed at all those who were now undermining the chief minister and “her marathon struggle which ultimately ended in the end of the Communist Party of India-Marxist’s misrule in the state”.

“Some people are now undermining the struggle by raising and fighting over irrelevant issues.”

However, Banerjee later clarified that her post did not have a particular target.

“It was not aimed at anybody in particular. I have meant all those who have weak spines,” she told media persons in Barasat of North 24 Parganas district.

The post on the popular social networking site also urged the youth to stand up.

“Let us dedicate ourselves for the common people. I appeal to the young generation to awake, fight, stand up and instil a spirit of mind without fear,” read the post which has received over 600 likes and 200 comments.

Of the comments, the one by Shubhashis Bhattacharya stands out: “It is the world of sycophants where spines don’t work. (Former railway minister) Dinesh Trivedi had one perhaps, but you’ve chosen someone else. Have you ever checked the structure of your party? Where are the spines? And if you boast of your spine, where is the head?”