Venugopal categorically denied that any conversation on a merger had taken place. He said the primary focus of the interactions remain “strengthening the fight against the anti-democratic government.
Venugopal said the primary focus of the interactions remain “strengthening the fight against the anti-democratic government.”
However, a senior Congress leader told Outlook that the evolving political situation could shape future political arrangements between the two parties, and an alliance in near future is “very much a possibility.”
The Congress on Thursday dismissed reports suggesting a merger between the Congress and the Trinamool Congress (TMC), with party leaders asserting that no such proposal is under consideration.
Speculation over a possible merger gathered momentum after Mamata Banerjee and Abhishek Banerjee recently met Rahul Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi in New Delhi. The buzz comes at a time when the TMC is on the verge of a split, with a section of its MLAs and MPs rebelling against the party leadership and claiming that they represent the real TMC.
Addressing a press conference on Thursday, Congress General Secretary K.C. Venugopal clarified that discussions with Mamata Banerjee and her nephew, Abhishek Banerjee, were limited to broader political issues and strengthening opposition coordination. He categorically denied that any conversation on a merger had taken place. He said the primary focus of the interactions remain “strengthening the fight against the anti-democratic government.”
“These are baseless rumours. Mamata Banerjee and Abhishek Banerjee held routine discussions when they met Madam ( Sonia Gandhi) and Rahul Gandhi. That is an extension of an India-Alliance discussion because everybody wants to strengthen the India Alliance. Everybody wants to strengthen the fight against the anti-democratic government,” he added.
However, a senior Congress leader told Outlook that the evolving political situation could shape future political arrangements between the two parties, and an alliance in near future is “very much a possibility.” He ruled out any immediate move toward a merger.
“Given the gravity of the situation in the country and in West Bengal, and the way the BJP government is pursuing anti-people policies, the possibility of a future alliance with the TMC cannot in the near future is very much a possibility,” he said.
The Trinamool Congress, for its part, has not officially responded to the merger speculation. TMC MP Saugata Roy, who is regarded as a close associate of Mamata Banerjee, acknowledged the importance of cooperation between the two parties. At the same time, he noted that it remains unclear whether such cooperation would eventually take the form of an electoral alliance or something more substantive.
Mamata's Long Association with Congress
The speculation of merger had also revived interest in Mamata Banerjee’s long and complex relationship with the Congress. Before founding the TMC in 1998, Banerjee spent more than two decades in the Congress and emerged as one of its most prominent leaders in West Bengal.
She eventually broke away from the party in 1997 amid growing disagreements with the state leadership. Banerjee was also critical of what she perceived as the Congress high command’s neglect of West Bengal and felt that the party lacked the determination to effectively challenge the CPI(M)-led Left Front government. The following year, she launched the Trinamool Congress, which steadily grew into the principal opposition force in the state before ending the Left Front’s 34-year rule in the landmark 2011 Assembly elections.
