Chidambaram faces protests by lawyers of Congress Cell at Calcutta High Court

New Delhi, May 4: Senior Congress leader and advocate P Chidambaram on Wednesday faced protest by lawyers of Congress Cell at Calcutta High Court where he was present in connection with a legal matter.

In a viral video, lawyers are seen shouting slogans, showing him black robes and calling him a TMC sympathiser. They also held him responsible for party's poor show in West Bengal.

They alleged that the former Union Home Minister was playing with the sentiment of the Congress party as it was not appropriate for him to represent the company when West Bengal Congress chief Adhir Chowdhury is fighting the case challenging the Trinamool Congress government's sale of shares of Metro Dairy to the private company.

#WATCH | Congress leader & advocate P Chidambaram faced protest by lawyers of Congress Cell at Calcutta HC where he was present in connection with a legal matter. They shouted slogans, showed him black robes & called him a TMC sympathiser & responsible for party's poor show in WB pic.twitter.com/SlH4QgbJSn

— ANI (@ANI) May 4, 2022

One of the participants in the protest, lawyer Kaustav Bagchi said the former Union Finance Minister was appearing for an entity whose purchase of shares was being objected to by the West Bengal Pradesh Congress Committee president. "Mr Chidambaram is a CWC (Congress Working Committee) member and a very important leader," PTI quoted Bagchi as saying.

He said he led the protest "as a Congress worker" and not as a lawyer and added that party workers will mete out similar treatment to any leader who acts against the interests of Congress in West Bengal. Chowdhury, when contacted by PTI, said that the protest was a "natural" reaction from some Congress supporters.

"I have heard that some Congress supporters present at Calcutta High Court protested. I believe this was their natural reaction," Chowdhury said from Berhampore. On party colleague Chidambaram fighting the case, Chowdhury said that in a professional world one has the right to choose his or her options. "It's a professional world. It depends on the person ... nobody can dictate to him or her," he added.