TMC’s Abhishek Banerjee backs same-sex marriage in Sundarbans, hits out at BJP’s rigidity

Kolkata: Senior TMC leader Abhishek Banerjee on Monday phoned and congratulated Sundarbans residents Riya Sardar and Rakhi Naskar on their same-sex marriage during a local felicitation, using the moment to underline TMC's inclusive stance and target the BJP's conservative position on equality.

Riya Sardar of Mandirbazar police station area and Rakhi Naskar of Bakultala in Kultali block, both professional dancers in their early twenties, tied the knot on November 4 at the Paler Chak temple in Jalaberia.

The ceremony, complete with garlands, conch shells, ululation and the blessings of hundreds of villagers, unfolded in a deeply conservative corner of the Sundarbans where such public assertions of identity are rare.

In a country where same-sex marriages have no legal recognition and the matter remains pending before the Supreme Court, the wedding was a quiet act of rebellion rooted more in affection than activism.

On Monday, following instructions from Abhishek Banerjee, the TMC national general secretary and Diamond Harbour MP, the couple was felicitated at a Trinamool-organised programme in Kultali by Mathurapur MP Bapi Halder, local MLA Ganeshchandra Mondal and other leaders.

Midway through the programme, Banerjee spoke to the gathering over phone and congratulated the couple, describing their decision as a watershed moment for Bengal.

"From the soil of the Sundarbans, a unique history has been created," the Diamond Harbour MP said, adding that Riya and Rakhi had shown "the true meaning of love" by stepping outside society's old patterns.

"They have proved that love never stays trapped in boundaries. It recognises no barrier not of religion, not of gender, not of caste, not of society, not of rules," he said.

The Trinamool leader went further, presenting the felicitation as part of a broader political argument against the BJP's position on same-sex unions.

While several BJP leaders have publicly opposed same sex marriage, Banerjee said his party rejected "such rigidity".

"Riya and Rakhi's courage, their mutual respect and commitment will remain an example for generations. They have shown society that love is humanity, and humanity is our real identity," he added.

Party insiders described Banerjee's intervention at a small, block-level event as "deliberate and strategic", signalling TMC's intent to project itself as an inclusive and socially progressive platform, especially for marginalised gender identities.

Banerjee also thanked the villagers of Kultali for standing by the couple.

"This is not just the pride of a village or a district. This is the pride of Bengal and of the entire nation," he told them.

"You have broken the cage of old thinking. You have shown that the people of the Sundarbans are not only children of nature but also large-hearted in spirit," he added.

The Bengal BJP is yet to react on Banerjee's congratulatory message to the couple.

For Riya and Rakhi, whose quiet ceremony has now become the centre of state-level political messaging, the day ended with cheers and garlands once again this time accompanied by the full weight of Bengal's ruling party sending a signal to its principal rival.