A suspended Trinamool Congress spokesperson has triggered a political storm in West Bengal after openly praising newly-appointed Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari, claiming his intervention prevented large-scale violence against workers of the Mamata Banerjee-led party following the recent killing of the BJP leader’s personal assistant after the West Bengal election results were announced.
Riju Dutta, who has been suspended by the TMC for six years over alleged violations and non-compliance with the party’s disciplinary committee, said that Adhikari acted with restraint during the sensitive phase and helped prevent escalation after the brutal killing of his long-term close aide.
“Suvendu Adhikari has saved the lives of at least 5,000 Trinamool Congress workers. His PA was shot on May 6. If he had called for revenge in Bengal that night, 5,000 TMC workers would have been killed. Instead, he asked everyone to maintain peace and not take the law into their own hands,” Dutta said while speaking to news agency ANI.
Extending his praise further, Dutta described Adhikari’s political trajectory as ‘unmatched’ and even suggested he was better suited to be West Bengal Chief Minister after Mamata Banerjee.
“In the history of India, if a list of top 10 politicians is made, Mamata Banerjee’s name will be there. But Suvendu Adhikari’s CV is different. He has been an MP, a cabinet minister, and later defeated Mamata Banerjee in Nandigram. He is the only person who deserves to sit in the chair of the Chief Minister of West Bengal,” he said.
Dutta also launched a broader attack on the TMC leadership, alleging organisational failures and claiming that internal dynamics and alleged misuse of external consultants had weakened the party. He accused the leadership of allowing an external agency to influence party functioning and questioned recent legal developments involving senior leaders.
“Didi and Abhishek Banerjee must take responsibility for how an outsider organisation (I-PAC) managed to capture the entire part,” he said.
Dutta’s comments come at a time when the TMC is facing internal churn and public criticism from multiple quarters following its electoral setback, with several leaders breaking ranks to question the party’s leadership and organisational strategy.
In the aftermath of the defeat, a section of TMC leaders have publicly aired grievances. Former junior sports minister Manoj Tiwari had earlier criticised senior minister Aroop Biswas, alleging obstruction of development work due to internal insecurity.
“This corrupt government got the people’s treatment it deserved, because it never worked for people’s good, never intended to fulfil the promises it made and only cared about its personal interests,” he had said in a video message on social media.
Senior leaders, including Krishnendu Narayan Choudhury and Kolkata Deputy Mayor Atin Ghosh have also raised concerns over the party’s perceived second-in-command Abhishek Banerjee’s style of political management, accusing him of “single-handedly responsible for bringing the party down”.
Separately, TMC candidate Ratna Chatterjee had also expressed dissatisfaction over “lack of access to the leadership during a crucial phase of the election campaigning”.
The Trinamool Congress, however, refuted the claims and said that the opinions expressed by individuals should not be construed as the official position of the party.
“We wish to clarify that any such statements made in the media or shared on social media platforms represent the personal views of the individuals concerned. It should not be interpreted as the official stance unless officially communicated through official channels of the party,” it said.
– Ends