Chongqing official takes "leave" in blow to Bo Xilai BEIJING, February 8 - Bo Xilai, the ambitious Communist party chief of Chongqing in south-west China, was hit by a political storm on Wednesday after his deputy and long-time ally took "leave" amid rumours of infighting and even an attempted flight by the deputy to a US consulate. The Chongqing government said Wang Lijun, deputy mayor, took "therapeutic" leave for overwork. But his abrupt departure after years of serving Mr Bo fanned rumours that Mr Wang sought refuge in the US consulate in Chengdu, several hours" drive from Chongqing, after a falling out amid a corruption probe. The speculation about Wang Lijun seeking refuge at the consulate could not be confirmed. Liu Weimin, Chinese foreign ministry spokesman, said he had "no information" about the rumours that the official had sought protection. Even if the rumours are untrue, Mr Wang's abrupt departure and the speculation it has fanned are likely to hurt his ambitious patron Bo Xilai, Communist party chief of Chongqing. Mr Bo is widely seen as seeking a spot in the party's next central leadership, to be settled by late 2012. "This will be a big blow to Bo Xilai, because Wang was instrumental in his anti-organised crime campaign, and that was instrumental in building Bo's appeal in public opinion and even among officials," said Chen Ziming, an independent scholar who studies party politics. "Now the hero of that campaign has turned into a scandal, so at the least that's a blow to Bo's public prestige," said Mr Chen, a former political prisoner who lives in Beijing. Mr Bo previously served as a commerce minister, often jousting with western trade officials, and was earlier the mayor of Dalian, a port city in north-east China. His deputy Mr Wang, 52, was reassigned last week from overseeing public security - where he was closely associated with a high-profile crackdown on organised crime - to overseeing education, science, environmental protection and other areas. The move fuelled rumours on Chinese microblogs that he was under investigation by the authorities for corruption, or that he fell out with Mr Bo. It is understood that Deputy Mayor Wang Lijun, who has suffered overwork and immense mental stress for a long time, is seriously indisposed physically. He is currently undergoing a vacation-style therapy," the Chongqing information office said on its microblog. On Wednesday, many Chinese microblog users scoffed at the statement and speculated that Mr Wang had been purged. The unconfirmed rumours about Mr Wang's fall or flight come shortly before Xi Jinping, Chinese vice-president, is due to visit the US on a trip that will underscore his virtual certainty of succeeding Hu Jintao as top leader from late 2012. Mr Wang has been seen as the hatchet man of Mr Bo, a charismatic politician who has encouraged a revival of socialist culture from the time of Mao Zedong while seeking to transform Chongqing's economy into a model of more equal growth. He was a key figure in Mr Bo's campaign against criminal gangs in the sprawling city-province, a drive welcomed by many residents, but criticised by some lawyers and commentators as a purge-like effort that trampled on legal protections and spared figures seen as enjoying protection. Mr Bo has been widely expected to be a contender for a place in the new line-up of Chinese leaders to be settled in a secretive process that culminates in a Communist Party Congress late in 2012 and a national parliament session in early 2013.