Former West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s declaration, “My leader, Sonia Gandhi!”, at the opposition rally at Ramlila Maidan in Delhi on Sunday may have sent a message of political bonhomie between the Trinamool Congress (TMC) and the Congress. However, back in West Bengal, senior Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury has made it clear that he has no intention of softening his opposition to the Trinamool supremo.

Within 72 hours of Mamata’s remarks, Adhir, speaking at a press conference at the district Congress office in Baharampur on Wednesday, reiterated his uncompromising stand against the TMC. He maintained that the party’s 15 years of alleged atrocities had severely damaged the Congress organisation in West Bengal.

“Over the last 15 years, the Congress has been devastated by the atrocities of the Trinamool Congress. Our organisational structure has crumbled due to their oppression. These are not mere errors! Therefore, I am not backing down from the opposition I have maintained against Mamata Banerjee,” Adhir said.

Future alliance left to central leadership

While ruling out any change in his personal political position towards Mamata, Adhir refrained from making any categorical statement about the future relationship between the Congress and the TMC.

“I cannot say what will happen in the future. It depends on what the national leadership decides, and there is also the state leadership to consider. We shall see how things unfold. I will speak on it again then,” he said.

His remarks have once again highlighted the apparent disconnect between the political signals emerging from the Congress’s national leadership and the position maintained by its state leadership in Bengal.

‘Pond and river’ remark had triggered speculation

Adhir has consistently remained one of Mamata Banerjee’s most vocal political opponents in Bengal. Although the TMC has occasionally adopted a relatively conciliatory approach towards the Congress at the national level, its leadership in Bengal, operating from Kalighat and Camac Street, has shown little inclination to extend similar political accommodation to Adhir.

However, around a year and a half ago, Adhir’s ‘pond and river’ analogy, made in the context of opposing the BJP, had triggered speculation in political circles about a possible softening of his position towards the TMC. The remarks raised questions about whether the veteran Congress leader was reconsidering his hostility towards Mamata. Adhir subsequently clarified his position, putting an end to the speculation.

Adhir’s uncompromising opposition to Mamata and the TMC had also played a significant role in bringing the Congress and the Left closer during the 2016 and 2021 Assembly elections and the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

In the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, Adhir suffered a defeat from Baharampur amid intense electoral polarisation. He alleged that the TMC had brought Yusuf Pathan all the way from Gujarat to contest the seat specifically to consolidate minority votes against him.
Adhir contested the Baharampur seat again in the 2026 Assembly elections but suffered another defeat amid sharp political polarisation.

Mamata’s Delhi appearance creates confusion in Bengal

Mamata’s appearance alongside senior Congress and CPI(M) leaders at the Ramlila Maidan rally has created considerable political uncertainty within the Congress and Left camps in Bengal. Her public declaration of Sonia Gandhi as her leader has added another dimension to the debate over the possibility of a broader opposition understanding.

The developments have also triggered reactions from the state’s ruling political camp. On Sunday, BJP leaders, including prominent state-level figures such as Agnimitra Paul, weighed in on the emerging political equations. On Wednesday, speaking from Siliguri, Leader of the Opposition Suvendu Adhikari launched an attack on the Left, Congress and Trinamool, clubbing the three parties together.

Against this backdrop, Adhir’s Wednesday statement assumes particular political significance. Despite Mamata’s public expression of respect for Sonia Gandhi and the apparent bonhomie at the Delhi rally, the Baharampur Congress leader has made it clear that his opposition to the Trinamool leadership remains unchanged. Whether the national leadership eventually charts a different course for the Congress in Bengal is, however, a question he has left open.

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