- Two TMC MLAs met Assembly Speaker and Chief Minister Adhikari.
- The meeting follows earlier speculation after a Delhi interaction.
- MLAs discussed administrative meetings and correcting past issues.
Kolkata, May 26 (PTI) In a development that is likely to add fresh intrigue to the evolving dynamics within the TMC after its electoral setback, two of the party’s MLAs — Ritabrata Banerjee and Sandeepan Saha — met Assembly Speaker Rathindra Bose on Tuesday, where Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari was also present, triggering renewed political chatter.
The meeting, officially described as a “courtesy call”, immediately attracted attention because it came days after Banerjee’s interaction with Adhikari at Delhi’s old Banga Bhavan sparked speculation about emerging equations in West Bengal’s fluid post-poll political landscape.
The timing is also significant because both Banerjee and Saha recently emerged as more vocal faces within the TMC, questioning organisational and political decisions after the party’s assembly election defeat.
At a closed-door post-result meeting called by TMC supremo and former chief minister Mamata Banerjee at Kalighat earlier this month, the two legislators reportedly raised questions over campaign management and leadership decisions, adding to visible signs of unease within sections of the party.
Tuesday’s interaction at the assembly was, therefore, quickly seen by many as more than a routine exchange. Emerging from the Speaker’s chamber, however, both leaders sought to dismiss any suggestion of political significance.
“We exchanged greetings with the Speaker and also with the chief minister. We will continue our constructive opposition,” Banerjee told reporters.
Asked why he suddenly decided to meet the Speaker on Tuesday, he said there had been no opportunity earlier.
“The day he was elected the Speaker, there was too much of a crowd. Today we heard he was there, so we went to greet him,” he said.
Saha, too, insisted the timing was purely coincidental.
“We went for a courtesy meeting as newly elected legislators. Incidentally, the chief minister was there too. We exchanged greetings. I once did politics under him. Nothing beyond that,” he said.
Yet, political observers quickly noted that in West Bengal’s politics, meetings across party lines — especially involving leaders seen as out of sync with their own organisation — often acquire meanings beyond official explanations.
Questions soon surfaced over whether the two legislators were aware of Adhikari’s presence before entering the Speaker’s chamber or whether the timing was entirely accidental.
The latest meeting also revived memories of last week’s interaction in Delhi, when Ritabrata Banerjee was seen exchanging smiles and conversing with Adhikari at old Banga Bhavan during the chief minister’s first visit to the national capital after assuming office.
Banerjee, the former TMC Rajya Sabha MP, also described that meeting as accidental.
On Tuesday, Banerjee revealed that Adhikari had once again spoken about involving opposition legislators in administrative review meetings — a subject that has gained significance after the new government indicated a willingness to engage with elected representatives irrespective of political affiliation.
“He had mentioned this in Delhi and said the same thing today. Politics and administration are different. If opposition representatives are invited to administrative meetings, they should attend,” he said.
Then came remarks many saw as carrying a wider political message.
“If something was not done for 15 years, where is the problem in correcting it now?” he said.
Recalling his own political journey, Banerjee said that as a Left MP earlier, he had never received invitations to administrative meetings but later attended such meetings as a TMC parliamentarian.
Banerjee, a former CPI(M) Rajya Sabha MP, was expelled from the party in 2018. After his tenure got ended, he joined the TMC in 2020.
“The chief minister’s initiative to invite all legislators is welcome. If they stay away, development of an area suffers,” he said.
He later cited his experience in Parliament, pointing to how political rivals in Tamil Nadu often set aside differences on the state’s issues.
“DMK and AIADMK may be bitter rivals, but I have seen them unite whenever Tamil Nadu’s interests are involved,” he said.
He followed that with a pointed remark: “Democracy has deep roots in our country. Silencing opposition voices does not produce good outcomes.” Many in the political circles viewed those remarks as an indirect continuation of the concerns raised during the Kalighat meeting.
At that meeting, Banerjee and Saha had reportedly referred to issues relating to campaign strategy and candidate management. Senior TMC leader Kunal Ghosh had also argued for greater internal space for discussion and stronger political outreach.
Interestingly, Tuesday’s developments coincided with another administrative assignment for Ghosh, who was appointed an invited member of a hospital patient welfare committee days after receiving a similar responsibility elsewhere.
Whether accidental or merely coincidental, the encounter has handed West Bengal’s political circles another scene to dissect at a time when every movement within the TMC is being watched for signs of a deeper churn.
(This report has been published as part of the auto-generated syndicate wire feed. Apart from the headline, no editing has been done in the copy by ABP Live.)
