Actor-turned-politician and Trinamool Congress MP Rachna Banerjee has spoken about her relationship with West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee at a time when the party is dealing with a growing internal crisis. As rebellion within the Trinamool Congress continues to make headlines, Rachna said her respect for Mamata remains unchanged and described her as the face people trust in the party. At the same time, she acknowledged concerns over governance, saying work often became difficult without support from the Centre and that certain obstacles affected what representatives hoped to achieve.
Speaking to PTI amid the political turbulence in the Trinamool Congress, Rachna Banerjee strongly defended Mamata Banerjee and dismissed the idea of rebellion against her leadership. “There can never be any rebellion against her (Mamata Banerjee). We have shared a very old relationship with Didi, and that relationship will always remain the same. The respect we have for her will always remain,” Rachna said. She also acknowledged that Mamata Banerjee played a central role in the party’s electoral success.
VIDEO | Delhi: Rebel TMC MP Rachna Banerjee, says, "There can never be any rebellion against her (Mamata Banerjee). We have shared a very old relationship with Didi, and that relationship will always remain the same. The respect we have for her will always remain. But one thing… pic.twitter.com/5z1oPNEqZZ
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) June 16, 2026
Rachna said voters placed their trust in Trinamool Congress because of Mamata Banerjee’s image and leadership. “Everyone says that we received votes because of Didi. That is correct. We got votes because of Didi, because Didi herself is the identity and symbol of the Trinamool Congress,” she stated. She added that while voters recognised Mamata as the party’s face, they also expected elected representatives to work for their constituencies. “People voted for Rachna Banerjee not because they were impressed by my face, but because they believed I would be able to work for them,” she said.
Rachna also admitted that political differences between the Centre and the State sometimes made development work difficult. “I felt that if the Central government and the State government were ruled by the same side, then getting work done would become much easier... something we have not really seen over the past 15 years,” she said.
She further added that, despite respecting Mamata Banerjee, there were moments when hurdles affected progress. “With due respect to Didi, I felt that while staying with her, there were many instances where obstacles were created in our work, and we were unable to do the kind of work we actually wanted to do,” she said.
The remarks come as the Trinamool Congress faces an ongoing internal crisis. Reports suggest 58 MLAs under expelled MLA Ritabrata Banerjee and 20 Lok Sabha MPs led by Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar have rebelled against the party. Three Rajya Sabha MPs, Sukhendu Sekhar Ray, Sushmita Dev, and Prakash Baraik, have also resigned from both the Upper House and party membership.
As political uncertainty continues within the Trinamool Congress, Rachna Banerjee’s remarks reflect both loyalty towards Mamata Banerjee and concerns over challenges in governance during changing political circumstances.
