Congress leader, Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury had stated that the sloganeering at the function in Kolkata on January 23 was done specifically to insult the CM of West Bengal and that he condemns it.

Defence of TMC supremo, Mamata Banerjee by West Bengal Congress chief Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, over the issue of ‘Jai Shri Ram’ slogans at Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose’s birth anniversary event, did come as a bit of a surprise for many who are aware that he is a known Mamata Banerjee critic, who at one point had even called her chameleon hankering for the post of PM. But it bears political significance and also gives a glimpse into what could be the Congress plans for West Bengal in the election season.

Also see: Trilateral fight in West Bengal election 2021

Rahul Gandhi did two tours of Tamil Nadu in a short span and the reason is that he wants to send a message to the DMK, that an alliance with them will not be on a begging bowl basis. The Congress wants to contest in over 40 seats, given that the state gave the largest number of MPs to the party during the Lok Sabha polls. The huge crowds that greeted Rahul Gandhi is also the Congress’s way of showing to the DMK that it has a presence in the state and that its belief that Congress would be a liability is unfounded.

The next tour of Rahul Gandhi is expected soon in Bengal. And, here is the plan. He is most likely to hit the areas where the BJP is believed to be in the stronghold or from where it has won in the Lok Sabha polls like jangalmahal regions. Even if parts of TMC stronghold are chosen as part of his tour, it is unlikely that he will attack the TMC aggressively, which hints at a post-poll alliance or external support to TMC.

The logic is simple. The Congress may have formed an alliance with the Left to take on Mamata, but it also knows that a defeated TMC would be a huge boost for the BJP’s plans for an all India presence. Mamata Banerjee is one of the strongest leaders. It is because she has taken on the BJP and the prime minister directly on many issues like demonetization, CAA-NRC, and Farmers’ protests. Her defeat would mean that the Opposition’s fight against the BJP gets weaker.

But the Congress party is in a dilemma. On one hand, the TMC has won away about 20 MLAs of the Congress and this is unacceptable to the cadre. This was also one of the reasons why Chowdhury pushed for an alliance with the Left, which is to teach a lesson to the TMC.

Also see: Battleground of Bengal election 2021

Also, on the other hand, as a national party that wants to fight the rising clout of regional players, Congress cannot be seen as not putting up a fight. But there is no denying that both the TMC and the Congress realize that fighting each other would only end up strengthening the BJP. The entry of players like Owaisi has only made things tougher for the TMC. He is likely to cut into the minority votes of Mamata which have till now been solidly behind her. He could also threaten Chowdhury’s minority vote bank in Murshidabad, which is his stronghold. Hence the need to “stick together” without making it, looks so.

Recently Sougato Roy of the TMC had thrown a googly at the Congress by asking it to join hands to keep the BJP away. Chowdhury on behalf of his party had rejected it, & instead he asked it (TMC) to merge with the Congress. But behind this, what seemed like an off-the-cuff remark, is a plan and idea brewing, which is that the BJP is the bigger enemy.