New Delhi, Oct 5 (SocialNews.XYZ) Veteran politician Kiranmay Nanda, long regarded as a key link between the Samajwadi Party (SP) and the Trinamool Congress, has recently made remarks that have raised questions about his current stance towards West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and the broader dynamics within the INDIA bloc.
Speaking in Kolkata after this year’s West Bengal Assembly election, Nanda reportedly described Mamata Banerjee’s defeat and refusal to accept the electoral verdict as being in “denial mode”, claiming that the people of West Bengal had rejected her party.
He also reportedly suggested that SP president Akhilesh Yadav’s expressions of solidarity with Mamata Banerjee were driven more by political compulsions within the INDIA bloc than by personal affinity.
Observers also noted that despite being in Kolkata, Nanda did not accompany Akhilesh Yadav during a visit to Mamata Banerjee’s residence, where the SP chief expressed solidarity with her and shared concerns over the election outcome.
These developments drew attention because Nanda has long been viewed as a political bridge between Kolkata and Lucknow and has played an important role in fostering relations between the SP and the Trinamool Congress.
Last week, while Mamata Banerjee was criticising Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over alleged electoral roll irregularities during and after an INDIA bloc meeting in New Delhi, Nanda reportedly blamed her for “damaging” Opposition unity.
Akhilesh Yadav was unable to attend that meeting, leading to speculation over his absence.
Opposition leaders clarified that he was occupied with party responsibilities in Uttar Pradesh, particularly in connection with the filing of nominations for Rajya Sabha by-elections.
Akhilesh Yadav also posted messages on social media that appeared to reflect cordial relations within the Opposition alliance.
Subsequent media reports quoted Nanda as accusing Mamata Banerjee of harming broader Opposition unity and suggesting that political realities in West Bengal could not simply be ignored.
He reportedly referred to an earlier episode involving Chand Mohammad, a former West Bengal Socialist Party (WBSP) MLA from Bhagabangola in Murshidabad district, who later joined the SP before eventually moving to the Trinamool Congress.
Nanda is also reported to have referred to differences between Mamata Banerjee and the Congress, despite their participation together at Opposition meetings.
These comments have drawn attention because Nanda had earlier publicly described himself as a facilitator of relations between Akhilesh Yadav and Mamata Banerjee and had spoken positively about cooperation between the two parties.
As a result, his recent remarks have triggered fresh speculation regarding relations between the SP and the Trinamool Congress, appearing to diverge from the position publicly articulated by the SP leadership in recent months.
However, there is no direct evidence that Nanda’s comments reflect any formal change in SP policy.
Reports discussing his criticism have also noted that it remains unclear whether his remarks represent the official position of Akhilesh Yadav or merely Nanda’s personal observations.
Born in East Midnapore on May 16, 1944, Nanda spent most of his political career in West Bengal and was elected repeatedly to the state Assembly, making him one of the state's longest-serving legislators.
He first entered the Assembly as a Janata Party candidate in 1977. He later emerged as a prominent leader of the West Bengal Socialist Party (WBSP), an influential constituent of the Left Front.
Nanda served as Fisheries Minister for nearly three decades in successive governments led by Jyoti Basu and Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee.
The WBSP first merged with the Samajwadi Party (SP) in the 1990s, with Nanda serving as a general secretary.
After a period of separation, the WBSP again merged with the SP in 2010.
Thereafter, Nanda moved increasingly into national politics and became one of Mulayam Singh Yadav’s trusted associates.
He later entered the Rajya Sabha as an SP member from Uttar Pradesh and served between 2012 and 2018.
During the internal SP conflict of 2016-17 between Mulayam Singh Yadav and Akhilesh Yadav, Nanda sided with Akhilesh and provided legitimacy to the party convention in Lucknow that elevated the younger Yadav as National President despite opposition from Mulayam loyalists.
At the time, Nanda was the party’s Vice-President and had convened the convention without the presence of the party patriarch.
Source: IANS
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