The cracks within the Congress are growing wider with each passing day. Party leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury on Monday, in a series of tweets, targeted his senior colleague Anand Sharma asking him to ‘know his facts’. This follows Sharma’s public criticism of the party over its choice of allies in the upcoming Assembly elections in West Bengal.

“Know ur facts @AnandSharmaINC -Those who are committed to fight against #BJP parties venomous communalism should  support the Congress and campaign for the party in five states rather than attempting to undermine the party by remarks in tune with BJP’s agenda,” Chowdhury tweeted.

This was in response to Sharma’s statement on Monday that the party’s tie-up with Indian Secular Front (ISF), led by Muslim cleric Abbas Siddiqui in West Bengal, was against the Congress’s core ideology and Gandhian and Nehruvian secularism.

He also said that the party “cannot be selective in fighting the communalists” and it must do so in all its manifestations, irrespective of religion and colour.

In another tweet, Chowdhury wrote, “Would urge a select group of distinguished Congressmen to rise above always seeking personal comfort spots and stop wasting time singing praises of the PM. They owe a duty to strengthen the party and not undermine the tree that nurtured them.”

This was in obvious reference to Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad’s recent statement on Prime Minister Narendra Modi. “I like a lot of things about many leaders. I am from the village and feel proud… Even our Prime Minister (Narendra Modi) hails from the village and used to sell tea. We are political rivals but I appreciate that he does not hide his true self,” he said while addressing an event in Jammu.

Earlier, last month PM Modi, in his farewell speech on Azad’s last day in Rajya Sabha, had praised him and his role during a terror attack on a group of Gujaratis in Kashmir. A group of senior Congress leaders — including Sharma, Bhupinder Singh Hooda, Raj Babbar, Manish Tiwari — last week accompanied Azad to his hometown Jammu in what was seen as muscle-flexing by ‘the group of 23 (G 23)’

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The group had a few months back written a letter to Congress president Sonia Gandhi demanding organisational overhaul and expressing reservation about the alleged ad hoc manner in which the party was being run. This was the first open dissent in the party and was followed by talks between interim president Sonia gandhi and senior members of the group.

The Jammu visit of the group was seen as the second round of open dissent and according to reports the party has gone into damage control mode to contain adverse effects the revolt buzz could have on the party chances on the eve of polls to five states — West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Assam, Puducherry.

The Congress is contesting the West Bengal assembly elections in alliance with the Left and ISF, but is fighting the CPI-M in Kerala as the principal opposition party.

Even though the Left has finalised its seat-sharing with ISF, the Congress is yet to do so. Leaders of the Left, Congress and the ISF addressed a joint rally at the Brigade Parade ground in Kolkata on Sunday.