Congress Dismisses Speculations of Merger with TMC as Baseless

The Congress party has firmly rejected rumors regarding a potential merger with the Trinamool Congress (TMC), labeling such reports as unfounded speculation. During a press conference, Congress General Secretary K.C. Venugopal stated that discussions held recently with former West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and her nephew Abhishek Banerjee were strictly focused on national issues, with no conversations about a merger between the two parties. He emphasized that these are baseless rumors. The meeting between TMC and Congress leaders aimed solely at discussing how to effectively raise national issues.

Speculation about a possible merger between TMC and Congress gained traction after Mamata Banerjee and Abhishek Banerjee attended a meeting of the INDIA bloc in New Delhi on Monday. During this gathering, both leaders also met with Congress Parliamentary Party Chairperson Sonia Gandhi and Opposition Leader Rahul Gandhi. This fueled rumors that TMC might merge with Congress nearly three decades after separating from the party. These speculations arose amidst differences within TMC's legislative and parliamentary factions. This development comes just a month after TMC lost power in West Bengal, where it secured only 80 seats in the 294-member assembly. However, TMC has not officially commented on the possibility of a merger. TMC MP Sougata Roy, considered close to Mamata Banerjee, stated that it is essential for the party to collaborate with Congress, but he also noted that it remains to be seen whether this cooperation will take the form of an alliance or a merger.