West Bengal: Koustav Bagchi, a fierce critic of Mamata Banerjee, resigns, says ‘Congress more interested in forging friendship with TMC’, has ‘lost legitimacy’

West Bengal Congress leader Koustav Bagchi resigned from the party on Wednesday (28th February), accusing the party’s top leadership of seeing ‘the Trinamool Congress as its West Bengal unit’ and being ‘more interested in forging a friendship with the TMC than strengthening the state party unit.’ There is widespread speculation that Bagchi will join the BJP ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

Bagchi, an advocate, rose to prominence last year after being arrested by police for making disparaging statements about West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. He eventually shaved his head and declared that he would remain bald till the TMC government was in power in the state.

Bagchi, one of the state’s Congress spokespersons, announced on Wednesday that he had submitted his resignation letter to the Congress high command and Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, president of the West Bengal Pradesh Congress Committee (WBPCC).

In his letter, Bagchi said that the Congress had lost legitimacy as a political organization. “I have resigned from the party. I have given up my primary membership. I have informed my decision to part high command and state Congress leadership as well. The party has lost credibility,” Bagchi said.

“In West Bengal, the Pradesh Congress committee has no importance. The party high command sees the Trinamool Congress as its West Bengal unit. The party is more interested in forging a friendship with the TMC than strengthening the state party unit. Therefore, I cannot compromise with my self-esteem and not fight against the TMC,” Bagchi said. He also questioned the Congress high command’s silence on the Sandeshkhali issue.

Bagchi was arrested by Kolkata police in March of last year after allegedly criticizing Banerjee for her “personal attack” on state Congress president Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury. After being granted bail, Bagchi shaved his head and vowed to remain bald until the Mamata Banerjee government was deposed in Bengal. Since then, Bagchi has been a vocal critic of the TMC government, frequently sharing the dais with the state Assembly’s Leader of Opposition, Suvendu Adhikari, during rallies.