It’s West Bengal Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress (TMC) supremo Mamata Banerjee’s 68th birthday today. Setting aside their political rivalry on the occasion, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge have extended their wishes to the firebrand leader and prayed for her long life.
Taking to X, Prime Minister Modi wrote, “Best wishes to West Bengal CM Mamata Didi on her birthday. Praying for her long and healthy life.”
Despite bitter rivalry in the electoral arena, PM Modi and Banerjee are known to share good relations.
During a freewheeling interview with actor Akshay Kumar on everything except politics, PM Modi shared that every year on his birthday, Mamata ‘Didi‘ sends him kurtas and sweets.
“Despite all the rivalry, Didi personally selects and sends me kurtas every year. She also sends me sweets as she knows I am fond of Bengali sweets,” he had said.
Congress Chief Kharge, whose party is part of the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA Bloc) along with TMC, gave a personal touch to his greeting.
In a post written in Banga, the Congress chief said, “Happy Birthday to the AITC Founder Chairperson, Mamata Didi. Wishing you a long and healthy life.”
The sweet gesture came at a time when a rift could be witnessed in the Opposition’s INDIA bloc in West Bengal after Congress attacked Trinamool supremo for offering just two of the state’s 42 Lok Sabha seats.
Didi’s party won 22 seats with 43 per cent votes in 2019 and reportedly believes that as the dominant party in the state, it should be allowed to take the final call on seat sharing.
Banerjee’s Political Journey
Banerjee was born on January 5, 1955 in Kolkata. She started her political career in the mid-70s at the age of 15, and quickly rose the ranks to become the general secretary of the Mahila Congress and later All India Youth Congress.
She did her graduation in Law and Master of Arts from Calcutta University and is also a self-taught painter and a poet.
Banerjee founded the Trinamool Congress in 1997 after a disagreement with the Congress party. She was elected as a Member of Parliament in the 8th Lok Sabha in 1984, becoming one of India’s youngest parliamentarians to do so.
During her political journey, Banerjee had worked with three Prime Ministers– PV Narasimha Rao, Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Dr Manmohan Singh.
She had served as a Union minister in both National Democratic Alliance (NDA) and United Progressive Alliance (UPA) governments and held portfolios like Human Resource Development, Youth Affairs and Sports, Women and Child Development, Coal and Mines and the Railways.
One of the most significant achievements of her career came in 2011 when TMC secured a landslide victory in the West Bengal Assembly Election, ending the 34-year-old reign of the CPM in the state. Banerjee assumed the role of Chief Minister, becoming the first woman to hold this position in the state.
TMC again won assembly polls in 2016 and 2021, with Banerjee at the party’s helm.
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