The Congress has strongly condemned the defacing of posters of party president Mallikarjun Kharge in Kolkata. The party’s general secretary (organisation) K.C. Venugopal has issued a stern warning, calling it an act of gross indiscipline. The incident has sparked a political crisis within the West Bengal Congress, with state chief Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury questioning the loyalty of Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee to the opposition alliance. Kharge has asserted that Banerjee remains an ally, but Chowdhury has expressed his disagreement.