Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury on Thursday appealed to Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee to return to the Congress. He urged her to join the Congress along with her remaining MLAs and MPs. He also stated that the Congress in West Bengal is ready to accept Mamata Banerjee’s leadership and work with her.
Citing the ongoing rebellion within the Trinamool Congress, Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury said that the party has little left after its defeat in the 2026 Bengal Assembly elections. He stated that a separate political entity is not needed at this time. Mamata Banerjee formed the Trinamool Congress after splitting from the Congress nearly three decades ago.
Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury said that Mamata Banerjee has already taken the support of the Congress-led INDIA alliance, so she should join the Congress. He said that the Congress in Bengal is ready to work under her leadership. Chowdhury also appealed to Mamata Banerjee to “leave her burden behind” and join the Congress.
Chowdhury’s “burden” comment was seen as a reference to Mamata Banerjee’s nephew and Trinamool Congress’s national general secretary, Abhishek Banerjee. However, Adhir Ranjan did not mention Abhishek by name in his statement.
Trinamool Congress MP Saugata Roy, on Adhir Ranjan’s proposal, said that the party would consider it only if a formal proposal comes from the Congress leadership. He said that Chaudhary said what he felt and that Trinamool is a separate party at the moment.
Saugata Roy rejected Adhir Ranjan Chaudhary’s “burden” comment, saying that no decision regarding the party can be made without Abhishek Banerjee. He described Abhishek as a leader and national general secretary of Trinamool Congress. He also said that if an official proposal comes from the Congress leadership, it can be discussed within the party.
This statement comes at a time when political rhetoric is intensifying regarding the organizational crisis and rebellion in the Trinamool Congress after the assembly elections. It is reported that some rebel MLAs have attempted to present themselves as the de facto legislative opposition to the BJP government.
A group of rebel MPs has taken a different political path. They have joined the Nationalist Citizens Party of India (NCPI) and supported the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) at the center.
Meanwhile, BJP West Bengal unit spokesperson Devjit Sarkar also targeted Trinamool. He said that Trinamool was formed to break away from the Congress and fight the CPI(M). It came to power on that very issue. Devjit said that now that Trinamool Congress is out of power, it has no other objective left.