Speculation over a possible TMC-Congress merger intensified after Mamata Banerjee met Sonia Gandhi and Abhishek Banerjee held talks with Rahul Gandhi in New Delhi. While Mamata returned to Kolkata without commenting, TMC rebel leaders and West Bengal Congress leaders dismissed the likelihood of a political reunion.
Speculation surrounding a possible re-merger between the Trinamool Congress (TMC) and the Congress party intensified on Wednesday after former West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee returned to Kolkata from New Delhi while her nephew and Trinamool Congress National General Secretary Abhishek Banerjee remained in the national capital.
The political buzz gained momentum following a series of high-profile meetings in New Delhi. On Tuesday, Mamata Banerjee held a one-on-one meeting with senior Congress leader Sonia Gandhi, while on Wednesday Abhishek Banerjee met Congress leader and Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi separately. The back-to-back meetings triggered widespread discussions in political circles about the possibility of the Trinamool Congress rejoining the Congress, nearly three decades after Mamata parted ways with the party.
Upon her arrival at Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport in Kolkata, Mamata Banerjee was approached by journalists seeking clarification on the growing merger rumours. However, she chose not to respond to any questions. The Trinamool Congress supremo quickly entered her vehicle and left the airport without making any public statement regarding the matter.
The speculation is particularly significant given the political history between the two parties. Mamata Banerjee founded the Trinamool Congress on January 1, 1998, after breaking away from the Congress. At the time, she accused the Congress leadership of failing to effectively challenge the CPI(M)-led Left Front government, which ruled West Bengal for more than three decades.
Despite the political chatter, leaders from the Trinamool Congress rebel bloc strongly rejected the possibility of any merger with the Congress. Ritabrata Banerjee, leader of the majority faction of the Trinamool Congress Legislative Party in the West Bengal Assembly and the official Leader of the Opposition, categorically denied reports suggesting a reunion.
Speaking on the issue, Ritabrata Banerjee asserted that his faction represents the “real” Trinamool Congress in the state Assembly. According to him, the bloc initially had the support of 58 legislators, a number that has now increased to 64. He further claimed that a majority of the party’s 28 Lok Sabha members are aligned with the rebel faction.
“There is no question of our party remerging with the Congress,” Ritabrata Banerjee stated, emphasizing that the political strength of his bloc makes such a move unnecessary.
Meanwhile, leaders of the West Bengal Congress also appeared unconvinced about the possibility of a re-merger. West Bengal Congress President Suvankar Sarkar laid down what he described as two essential conditions for any political return to the Congress fold.
According to Sarkar, anyone seeking to rejoin the Congress must accept Rahul Gandhi as the party’s supreme leader. He also stressed that the Congress would not allow itself to become a shield for individuals attempting to escape legal scrutiny over alleged past corruption-related issues.
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The developments have added a new dimension to West Bengal’s already complex political landscape. While meetings between top leaders of the two parties have fueled speculation, the absence of any official statement from Mamata Banerjee and the strong denials from both TMC rebel leaders and state Congress leaders suggest that the possibility of a formal re-merger remains uncertain.
For now, political observers continue to watch closely as discussions and rumours surrounding the future relationship between the Trinamool Congress and the Congress dominate the state’s political discourse.
