Has Mahua Moitra praised Suvendu Adhikari? MP clarifies

Amid buzz over her remarks praising the support once provided to her by Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari when they were in the Trinamool Congress (TMC), party MP Mahua Moitra has refuted media reports claiming that they misinterpreted her comments and quoted them out of context.

The remarks come days after Moitra, considered to be a staunch loyalist of former West Bengal Chief Minister and TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee, set the political circle in the state abuzz by stating in an interview to the BBC that Adhikari was a “very good friend” of her and “supported” her a lot during his tenure in the TMC.

Moitra rejects media spin

Her remarks reportedly fuelled speculation at a time when Banerjee is struggling to keep her flock together amid rebellions and defections in her party that had ruled the state for 15 years.

“My interview with @bbcbangla - please @IndiaToday do get a good translator so you don’t mischievously pick & choose “juicy bits” to grab eyeballs like with the hindi one !,” stated Moitra in a post on X.

The speculations started when Moitra, in the interview, recalled how Adhikari supported her when she contested her first Lok Sabha election from Karimpur. She said when no other TMC leader came to campaign for her, Adhikari stood by her, recalling how it was just her and the now West Bengal Chief Minister on the dais during one of her first election rallies.

Recalling Adhikari's support

“He was a very good friend of mine and, when we were in the same party, he supported me a great deal. When I first contested from Karimpur, nobody was coming to campaign for me. Hardly anyone attended rallies. One of my first rallies was addressed by Suvendu. I still have all the photographs. It was just Suvendu and me sitting there. I needed flags and campaign material; Suvendu helped me,” said Moitra in the interview, as reported by NDTV.

Also Read: Mahua Moitra feels TMC rebels should have done like Suvendu: 'I have respect for him'

Recalling how she was mortified after being denied a Lok Sabha election ticket in 2014, Moitra said that it was Adhikari who consoled and reassured her of his support.

“In 2014, there was a time when I thought I might get a Lok Sabha ticket but did not. I cried the entire night. Suvendu told me, ‘Don’t cry, sister. We are with you. These are emotional connections. Just because someone leaves does not mean those memories disappear. We may not speak now because we are in different political parties, but personal and emotional relationships are not something you simply forget,” added Moitra.

Backdrop of TMC turmoil

Banerjee's troubles deepened after the BJP's victory in the recently concluded West Bengal Assembly elections triggered a wave of defections within the TMC.

On June 3, Assembly Speaker Rathindra Nath Bose recognised 58 rebel TMC MLAs as the principal opposition bloc, with expelled leaders Ritabrata Banerjee and Sandipan Saha appointed as leader and deputy leader of the opposition.

Also Read: Several TMC rebels jumping ship carry baggage: Is 'washing machine' back at work?

Days later, a group of 20 rebel MPs led by Kakoli Ghosh proposed a merger with the Tripura-based NCPI and pledged support to the BJP-led NDA, potentially boosting the ruling alliance's numbers in both Houses of Parliament.