New Delhi: The Congress on Thursday firmly rejected speculation about a possible merger with the All India Trinamool Congress (TMC), describing such reports as baseless and clarifying that recent interactions between leaders of the two parties were focused solely on national issues.
The clarification comes amid growing political speculation following meetings between senior Congress leaders and TMC representatives in New Delhi earlier this week. Both parties have now publicly denied reports suggesting any move towards a merger.
Congress rejects merger claims
Addressing a press conference, K. C. Venugopal dismissed reports of a possible merger between the Congress and the TMC.
He stated that discussions held with former West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and TMC leader Abhishek Banerjee were limited to national political issues and strategies to raise public concerns more effectively.
According to Venugopal, there were no discussions regarding any organisational merger between the two parties.
Speculation intensified after INDIA bloc meeting
Rumours gained momentum after Mamata Banerjee and Abhishek Banerjee attended a meeting of the INDIA bloc in New Delhi earlier this week.
Following the meeting, both leaders separately met Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi, triggering political discussions about a possible realignment between the opposition parties.
Mamata Banerjee has traditionally maintained a selective presence at INDIA bloc meetings and has often deputed senior party leaders to represent the TMC. She had also skipped the opposition alliance’s inaugural meeting in Patna in 2023 and several subsequent meetings.
The meetings in Delhi therefore attracted significant attention among political observers.
TMC leaders also deny merger reports
Leaders within the TMC have also rejected speculation about a merger with the Congress.
Senior TMC MP Saugata Roy acknowledged the importance of cooperation between opposition parties but said it remained unclear whether future collaboration would take the form of an alliance or other arrangements.
Meanwhile, TMC leader Ritabrata Banerjee categorically dismissed suggestions that the party’s legislators or Members of Parliament were preparing to join the Congress.
He maintained that neither the party’s legislative wing nor its parliamentary representatives were considering a merger.
Political backdrop in West Bengal
The speculation comes at a sensitive time for the TMC following recent political developments in West Bengal.
The party is reportedly dealing with internal divisions within its legislative and parliamentary wings after suffering an electoral setback in the state. Political observers have been closely watching the party’s future strategy and its relationship with other opposition forces.
These developments have contributed to speculation about potential changes in opposition politics, although no formal proposal for a merger has emerged from either party.
Mamata Banerjee’s Congress roots
Before founding the Trinamool Congress, Mamata Banerjee spent more than two decades in the Congress.
She parted ways with the party in 1997 following differences with the state leadership and concerns over what she viewed as inadequate attention to West Bengal’s political landscape.
In 1998, she established the Trinamool Congress, which later emerged as the principal challenger to the Left Front government in the state and eventually came to power in the landmark 2011 Assembly elections.
Despite her Congress background, both parties have now made it clear that reports of an organisational merger are unfounded.
Opposition cooperation likely to continue
While merger speculation has been dismissed, political cooperation between opposition parties under the INDIA bloc framework is expected to continue on issues of common concern.
For now, both the Congress and the TMC have reiterated that their recent discussions focused on national political matters rather than any plans for organisational integration.