Former West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Saturday congratulated Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari, extending her wishes to her former protégé while launching a blistering attack on the rebel faction that has split the Trinamool Congress. The Trinamool Congress Supremo also said that she would support the new government if it worked in the interests of the people of West Bengal, while reminding Suvendu Adhikari that he, too, had once been a part of the Trinamool Congress and had held several key ministerial portfolios as well as important organisational responsibilities during his tenure in the party.
"I extend my best wishes to the person who has become the Chief Minister today. But I will certainly not say that you became Chief Minister without the Trinamool Congress. You, too, were once a part of this party. You also lost elections several times. I campaigned for you repeatedly in your constituency, it was my duty. I am not taking credit for that,” said Mamata Banerjee.
Reminding Adhikari of his political journey within the Trinamool Congress, Banerjee said he had held several important ministerial portfolios and organisational responsibilities under her leadership. "You were a minister in the Trinamool government for 10–11 years. You handled Transport, Irrigation, six districts and helped build district councils, panchayats and local organisations. Haldia Development Authority and Digha Development Board were entrusted to you. I know all of it,” she said.
Banerjee, however, accused the BJP of engineering the ongoing split in the Trinamool Congress by encouraging defections and using state power against those who chose to remain loyal to her. "Those who joined you suddenly became saints. Those who stayed back are being targeted through state-sponsored terror. Remember, every action has a reaction."
The former Chief Minister also criticised leaders who deserted the Trinamool Congress after its electoral defeat, accusing them of betraying the very party that had shaped their political careers. "You could not even wait for two months. You betrayed the party so quickly. There should be a limit to betrayal. This party is your political mother. If you are with the BJP, then join the BJP openly. You cannot claim to be in the Trinamool while doing the BJP's politics."
She alleged that the BJP was attempting to wrest control of the Trinamool Congress by challenging its organisational legitimacy and election symbol before the Election Commission of India. "You may complain to the Election Commission and even try to take away our symbol. Even if they give it to you, what difference will it make? A symbol belongs to the people who accept it. If needed, I will wear that symbol around my neck and go to the people. If you want to silence me, you will have to kill me."
The incumbent West Bengal Chief Minister, Suvendu Adhikari, left the Trinamool Congress in 2020 to join the BJP, and first emerged as Banerjee's principal political rival after defeating her in Nandigram during the 2021 Assembly elections. In the 2026 election, he contested from both Nandigram and Bhabanipur seats, defeating Mamata Banerjee in the latter seat while leading the BJP to its first-ever government in West Bengal.
The Trinamool Congress Supremo's message comes at a time when her party is facing its deepest internal crisis. Since losing power, the party has witnessed a series of defections, the emergence of a powerful rebel faction led by Ritabrata Banerjee, competing claims over the party's organisation and symbol, and the takeover of Trinamool Bhavan by dissident legislators, intensifying the battle for control of the party.
