Merely coincidental meeting? West Bengal Assembly encounter with CM Suvendu Adhikari fuels fresh chatter around TMC's outspoken MLAs

The Tuesday meeting was officially termed a "courtesy call".

Kolkata: Two TMC MLAs -- Ritabrata Banerjee and Sandeepan Saha -- have met Bengal Assembly Speaker Rathindra Bose, where Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari was also present, a development that is likely to add fresh intrigue to the evolving dynamics within the opposition party after its poll loss.

The Tuesday meeting, officially termed a "courtesy call", came days after Banerjee's interaction with Adhikari at Delhi's old Banga Bhavan building, sparking 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 earlier this month, the two legislators reportedly raised questions over campaign management and leadership decisions.

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.

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.

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. "If something was not done for 15 years, where is the problem in correcting it now?" Recalling his own political journey, Banerjee said that as a Left MP, 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 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.