Trinamool MPs mount attack on Congress, its INDIA bloc ally hits back

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee in conversation with Trinamool Congress MP from Bardhaman-Durgapur constituency Kirti Azad. File photo
| Photo Credit: ANI

The ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) on Tuesday (February 11, 2025) doubled down on its attack on the Congress saying that the grand old party has no base in West Bengal and the TMC will not try to strengthen the opposition alliance at its own cost. This comes a day after West Bengal Chief Minister and TMC chief Mamata Banerjee declared to go solo in the 2026 Assembly poll.

Accusing the Congress of “backstabbing” allies, Bardhaman-Durgapur Lok Sabha member Kirti Azad blamed the INDIA bloc ally for the Aam Aadmi Party’s (AAP) defeat in Delhi. “The biggest problem with the Congress is that it does not have any base. If it had fought with AAP in Delhi, they could have formed a government together. But it impacted the results in 14 seats and AAP lost,” Mr. Azad said, adding that the Congress has no right to be in the INDIA bloc.

Lok Sabha member from Dum Dum Sougata Roy said the TMC cannot strengthen the alliance at its own cost. “Mamata…has proved in the past that TMC alone is strong enough to fight the BJP. We won 29 out of the 42 seats in Lok Sabha, and will improve it further next time. We cannot strengthen the opposition alliance at our own cost,” he said.

‘Result of panic’

In response to the TMC’s decision, the West Bengal Congress unit, said such “unnecessary remarks” were a result of panic in several parties that seem to have understood the mistake of ignoring the Congress after the Delhi poll.

Congress leader Ujjwal Raman Singh said while all parties have the right to decide for themselves, any decision on the future course of action will be taken by the INDIA bloc leadership. “Every party has the right to decide for itself. INDIA alliance was in a national context, the leadership will decide the future policy. Everything is good in the INDIA alliance, it was formed for the Lok Sabha election to oppose the BJP and present an alternative. Discussions on States will be held separately,” he said.

‘Do not need anyone’

Ms. Banerjee has asserted that the Trinamool Congress will return to power with a two-thirds majority in the Assembly elections, according to the TMC’s mouthpiece, Jago Bangla , which reported that during a meeting of the TMC legislative party on Monday, she said told her legislators that that the Trinamool will return to power with a two-thirds majority in 2026. “We do not need anyone’s help. We will fight alone and win alone.”

Responding to Ms. Banerjee’s remark, West Bengal Congress president Suvankar Sarkar wondered if his party did not really matter, why were the regional parties so bothered about the Congress? “Actually, after the Delhi poll results, many regional parties have realised that it was a mistake to ignore the Congress in that election. The problem with parties such as AAP and those who think like them is that they are nothing more than the B-team of the BJP. The TMC seems to have forgotten that it was the Congress, which helped the TMC come to power in 2011 by defeating the Left Front,” he said.