Malda South MP and veteran Congress leader Abu Hasem Khan Choudhury has claimed on Saturday that two other members of the Khan Choudhury family that upheld the Congress flag in Malda for decades now will return to the party from Trinamul soon.

“In past few years, some residents of Kotowali (the ancestral home of the Khan Choudhury family that is on the outskirts of Malda town) like Mausam Noor and Abu Naser Khan Choudhury have joined Trinamul. However, our (those who stayed in the Congress fold) relationship with them has never turned bitter. We want them to return to the Congress and are having talks with them. We hope there will be some positive developments soon,” said Abu Hasem, who is also the district Congress chief of Malda.

The veteran was speaking to newspersons on the sidelines of a function in Sujapur of the district.

Senior Congress leaders, while speaking on the issue, said that Kotowali Bhaban had always been a citadel of the party in Malda.

“They represent the family of late A.B.A. Khan Choudhury, the tallest Congress leader in the region and the patriarch of Malda. He is still remembered warmly in the district as the tallest leader, irrespective of the party. It is good if these two members of the family return to our party,” said the leader.

Even a few years back, Kotowali used to be the residence of two Congress MPs (Abu Hasem and Noor) and two Congress MLAs (Isha Khan and Abu Naser) at the same time.

Abu Hasem, when spoke about the miserable results of the Congress in Malda of the Assembly elections last year where the party failed to win even one seat among the 12 seats, and Trinamul bagged eight and the BJP could win the remaining four, stressed the need to reorganise their party in the district.

“Let me confirm that Kotowali Bhaban and the Khan Choudhury family will take an important role in reviving Congress’ support across Malda,” the octogenarian leader said.

Such comments of Abu Hasem have led to ripples in the political circles.

Noor denial

Mausam Noor, a Trinamul Rajya Sabha member has reacted to the comments.

Noor said that contrary to what her uncle said there have no possibility of her to return to the Congress and nothing had been spoken of it. “There is no possibility of me going back to the Congress again. I am in Trinamul and will continue with the party. I had last met the Congress MP, who is also my uncle, at the last session of the Parliament. We had spoken about family issues but nothing was discussed on this,” said Noor.

Abu Naser Khan Choudhury, who is abroad, was not available for his comments.