Daijiworld Media Network - Kolkata
Kolkata, Oct 1: Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury on Thursday urged Trinamool Congress (TMC) chief Mamata Banerjee to return to the Congress along with her remaining MLAs and MPs, saying the party was prepared to accept her leadership in West Bengal.
Chowdhury's appeal came amid a deepening organisational crisis within the TMC following its defeat in the 2026 West Bengal Assembly elections and subsequent rebellions in both its legislative and parliamentary wings.
"There is no need for any separate entity at this moment. Not much is left of the TMC after its defeat in the Assembly elections," Chowdhury said while referring to the developments within the party.
"We would urge Mamata Banerjee to join the Congress along with all the leftover MLAs and MPs. We would accept her leadership in Bengal and work with her," he said.
Chowdhury also referred to Banerjee's recent participation in the Congress-led INDIA alliance and said she should join the Congress and work with the party in West Bengal. He further urged her to return to the Congress "leaving behind her baggage", an apparent reference to her nephew and TMC national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee.
The TMC, however, said it would respond to any such proposal only if it came formally from the Congress leadership. TMC MP Sougata Roy said the party was a separate political organisation and remained part of the INDIA alliance.
"He has said what he felt. We have nothing to say. TMC is a separate party now. If Congress wants to come with an official proposal, we will discuss the matter in the party," Roy said.
Responding to Chowdhury's reference to "baggage", Roy said Abhishek Banerjee remained a leader of the TMC and national general secretary, adding that no decision concerning the party could be taken without him.
The TMC's internal crisis has involved a major split in its legislative wing. The party won 80 of the 294 Assembly seats in the 2026 elections, while the BJP emerged as the largest party. Subsequently, a large group of TMC MLAs rallied behind expelled leader Ritabrata Banerjee and challenged Mamata Banerjee's control over the legislature party. The rebel group was recognised by the Assembly Speaker, with Ritabrata being recognised as the Leader of the Opposition.
The dispute later extended to the party's parliamentary wing, with 20 rebel TMC MPs moving separately and supporting a different political formation. The developments have also led to a dispute over the TMC's organisational control, party name and election symbol, with the Election Commission hearing both factions.
The BJP also reacted to Chowdhury's remarks. Party spokesperson Debjit Sarkar said the TMC's political future was a matter for the Congress and TMC to decide, while asserting that the BJP was prepared to contest against the Congress, TMC and CPI(M).
Banerjee had left the Congress in the late 1990s and founded the TMC in 1998. The party subsequently ended the Left Front's 34-year rule in West Bengal in 2011 and remained a dominant political force in the state for the following years.
Chowdhury's latest appeal therefore represents a call for Banerjee to reverse the political journey that began with her departure from the Congress. However, there has been no announcement from Banerjee or the TMC indicating that she intends to rejoin the Congress.