BJP has succeeded in ending TMC’s 15-year rule and capturing power in West Bengal.
SNPNEWS.IN News (Gurmail Kamboj): BJP’s former ally and former Chief Minister of Bengal, Mamata Banerjee, broke away from Congress in 1997-98 and founded the All India Trinamool Congress (TMC). Mukul Roy was its first signatory and a founding member. At that time, to fight the Left Front (CPM) in West Bengal, she strategically built closeness with the BJP. Today, the same BJP has successfully shown her the door and pushed her out of power in West Bengal.
Here are some key instances of the relationship between BJP and TMC chief Mamata Banerjee between 1998 and 2026, which significantly helped BJP reach power in West Bengal:
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Mamata joined hands with BJP at the Centre, and in Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s BJP-led NDA government, she was made Railway Minister (1999-2001).
In early 2001, Mamata broke ties with the NDA government after the Tehelka sting operation (Operation West End) exposed a major defence deal bribery scandal. After the sting, Mamata resigned from the NDA and formed an alliance with Congress for the West Bengal elections (in which she was defeated).
In an August 2001 BBC interview, when asked if there was any possibility of her party returning to the NDA, Mamata replied, “Yes, according to our TMC manifesto, the BJP is our ‘natural ally’.” In 2003, Mamata again joined the NDA government but remained a Minister without Portfolio for several months.
2003 Book Release and “Bengal ki Durga”: She participated in the release of a book titled Communist Terrorism written by Tarun Vijay, then editor of RSS mouthpiece Panchjanya. While speaking in Parliament, BJP Rajya Sabha MP Balbir Punj said about Mamata, “Our dear Mamata Didi is the incarnation of Durga.” The RSS also called her “Durga of Bengal” and expressed “strong support” for her fight against the Left.
In one of her speeches, Mamata Banerjee mentioned RSS leaders Mohan Bhagwat, Seshadri Charan, and Madan Das Devi, saying: “I do not know many leaders of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, but I have met some of them personally. You are true patriots. I know that you truly love your country.”
In 2012, the RSS mouthpiece Panchjanya published an article praising Mamata Banerjee’s simple lifestyle, stating: “Mamata is one of those rare politicians who has not used politics to amass wealth. I wish the country had more such politicians.”
In 2019, Mamata led many protests against NRC and CAA. However, when the CAA bill was put to vote in Parliament, eight TMC MPs mysteriously remained absent, which helped the bill get passed. Mamata pardoned these MPs and took no action against them.
On 27 January 2020, when then Union Minister of State for Finance Anurag Thakur gave slogans of “Desh ke Gadd/aron ko… Go/li Ma/ro Saa/lon Ko” in a rally, TMC leader Sheikh Alam opened fire on CAA protestors in Murshidabad. Demands were made to register an FIR (by Brinda Karat and others).
In a recent 2026 verdict, the Supreme Court gave a clean chit to Anurag Thakur and Parvesh Verma, saying the statement was not hate speech or incitement to violence, and no FIR was needed.
Mukul Roy, who joined BJP in 2017, returned to TMC before the 2021 Assembly elections, and Mamata happily welcomed him back. During the election campaign, Mukul told journalists that “BJP is equal to TMC.”
In July 2022, TMC refused to support the opposition candidate Margaret Alva in the Vice-Presidential election. TMC MPs later abstained from voting. Jagdeep Dhankhar won. Mamata helped Dhankhar, the same person who, as Governor of Bengal, had made it extremely difficult for her to run the government.
In September 2022, Mamata Banerjee openly praised the RSS, saying that there are many very good people in the Sangh and that it is a good organisation.
This nearly 28-year-old relationship has finally become a major shock for TMC and Mamata Banerjee. Didi had earlier sidelined the Comrades (Left) and Congress from West Bengal politics. Before that, BJP had similarly put its allies — INLD, BJD, Shiv Sena, SAD, JJP, JD(U), AIADMK, LJP, PDP, YSRCP, and BRS — on the sidelines.