Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar, known for his controversial remarks, fired a fresh salvo at Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, saying that West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee was the real leader of the INDIA bloc, and the alliance would perish without her.

Speaking to IANS, Aiyar remarked, “Without Mamata di, the ‘I’, ‘N’, ‘D’, ‘I’, ‘A’ of the INDIA alliance will be gone. Because Mamata Banerjee is the leader of this alliance. Along with her, there are two to four others who can achieve this position."

“I hope that instead of trying to remain in this position, which belongs to smaller parties – whether it’s Stalin, Mamata Didi, Akhilesh, Tejashwi, or someone else – Rahul Gandhi should let them handle it," Aiyar further mentioned.

Kolkata, West Bengal: Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar says, “Without Mamata di, the ‘I’, ‘N’, ‘D’, ‘I’, ‘A’ of the INDIA alliance will be gone. Because Mamata Banerjee is the leader of this alliance. Along with her, there are two-four others who can achieve this position. I…pic.twitter.com/d2jtl9KBud— IANS (@ians_india)February 22, 2026

The veteran Congress leader also recalled that he was Mamata Banerjee’s first National Secretary in Trinamool Congress (TMC). “I joined the party here at the end of December 1997. But within three weeks, I realised that this party belongs to Bengalis and I am not a Bengali. So then what would I do there? That’s why I left," he said.

““What can I tell you about the Congress? I only hope that Mamata Didi once again gives such a crushing reply to the BJP leaders that they are left without a face," he said on the upcoming state elections.

This came days after Aiyar openly criticised Rahul Gandhi’s leadership of the Congress, saying, “has forgotten that I am a member of the party, and therefore I am a Gandhian, I am a Nehruvian, I am a Rajivian, but I am not a Rahulian."

Aiyar also attracted the ire of the Congress after he praised the LDF government in Kerala and expressed confidence that CM Pinarayi Vijayan would secure a third consecutive term. Aiyar’s comments were welcomed by Vijayan, but the Congress distanced itself from the remarks.

West Bengal Congress’s Response

Congress leaders in West Bengal responded sharply to Aiyar’s remarks, saying he was no longer attached to party activities. “Let us make it clear in the beginning — for a long time, Mani Shankar Aiyar is no more attached with the activities of Congress Party. Five Rajya Sabha seats from Bengal are vacant now. Was that a reason behind such a comment from Mani Shankar Aiyar?" Congress state general secretary Suman Roy Chowdhury told NDTV.

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