Tied Down By Alliance Dharma, Did Congress Score Own Goal With Snub To Adhir In Bengal?

Last Updated:July 03, 2025, 09:02 IST

Sources say Rahul Gandhi, despite his differences with Mamata Banerjee, believes the bigger enemy is BJP and an aggressive will only help the saffron party in the state

Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury was unflinching in his opposition to Mamata Banerjee and she never approved of him as state chief. (PTI)

The BJP is on the verge of getting a new state president in Bengal and the choice of Samik Bhattacharya shows that the party is keen to take on Mamata Banerjee in 2026 and come up with a combative alternative to the chief minister.

The latest rape incident in Kolkata has given a chance to the BJP to once again hit out at the Trinamool Congress and accuse it of failing to maintain law and order in the state. The party also sent a delegation to Bengal and hopes to keep the issue burning.

In sharp contrast is the Congress, which is coming across as meek and disinterested. The party has not taken to the streets over the issue, nor is the state unit making any loud noise. Even though it’s an issue they can easily use to bounce back in the state, Congress spokesperson Shama Mohamed chose to attack the BJP instead for sending a delegation to Kolkata and accused the party of doing politics over rape.

Congress state chief Subhankar Sarkar was conspicuous by his absence, but this comes as little surprise because when he was made the state party chief in place of Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, it was very clear that the Grand Old Party wanted to extend an olive branch to the TMC. Unlike Chowdhury, Sarkar is considered conciliatory towards the Trinamool Congress.

Chowdhury was unflinching in his opposition to Banerjee and she never approved of him as state chief. In fact, he was one of the main reasons because of which the Bengal chief minister was miffed with Rahul Gandhi. She made it her personal challenge to ensure his defeat from Berhampore, from where he had been a Member of Parliament five times. What was worse was right in the middle of elections, no one from the central Congress leadership campaigned for Chowdhury. In fact, he was openly snubbed by the top brass at a press conference in Kolkata.

Even now, Chowdhury remains the only voice when it comes to taking on Banerjee over the latest rape in the state. Speaking exclusively to News18, he said: “The law and order situation in Bengal has been deteriorating from bad to worse. Most importantly, a grotesque culture of impunity has been emerging in the state, thanks to the sheer political indulgence being offered to miscreants belonging to the ruling party. The greatest and most horrible casualties are the women folk of Bengal. Rape has become the order of the day."

One thing is clear—if Chowdhury was at the helm, the Congress would have hit the streets. Lamenting the silence of his party on key issues, he said: “I visited the home of the nine-year-old girl in my neighbouring district Nadia who was brutally killed by TMC goons in the by-election victory celebrations. I am not at the helm of affairs, which restricts me to a large extent. We should do something otherwise we will head into a state of oblivion."

Sources say that Rahul Gandhi does not want a confrontation with the TMC in Bengal. Despite the differences he may have had with Banerjee, he believes that the bigger enemy is the BJP and in case the Congress decides to be very aggressive, it will only help the BJP come back to a state where the TMC has managed to stonewall the saffron party.

The INDIA bloc may be floundering, but when it comes to elections, no one—including Congress—wants to take any chances.

Unfortunately, a party that was once in power in the state and boasted of several MPs and powerful leaders like Poonam Mukherjee, Deepa Munshi and Ranjan Chaudhary, has now been restricted to only one MP from Dakshin Malda. Its dependence on the Left and soft corner for Banerjee and TMC could completely wipe out the Congress from yet another state where it was once in a strong position. The sidelining of Chowdhury makes it very clear that Congress does not want to rub the West Bengal chief minister the wrong way and to keep the BJP away, even if it comes at the cost of the party’s fortunes.

Pallavi Ghosh

Pallavi Ghosh has covered politics and Parliament for 15 years, and has reported extensively on Congress, UPA-I and UPA-II, and has now included the Finance Ministry and Niti Aayog in her reportage. She has als...Read More

Pallavi Ghosh has covered politics and Parliament for 15 years, and has reported extensively on Congress, UPA-I and UPA-II, and has now included the Finance Ministry and Niti Aayog in her reportage. She has als...

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News politics Tied Down By Alliance Dharma, Did Congress Score Own Goal With Snub To Adhir In Bengal?