Ritabrata Once Saw Lenin In Mamata Banerjee, Now He Is Driving A TMC ‘Bolshevik Revolution’
Ritabrata Once Saw Lenin In Mamata Banerjee, Now He Is Driving A TMC ‘Bolshevik Revolution’ Reported By, Edited By Last Updated: June 04, 2026, 10:44
Ritabrata Once Saw Lenin In Mamata Banerjee, Now He Is Driving A TMC ‘Bolshevik Revolution’ Reported By, Edited By Last Updated: June 04, 2026, 10:44 IST Ritabrata may have brought the TMC to its knees and split it down the middle, but he insists that Mamata Banerjee remains his leader while describing her nephew as a "despot". Rapid Read Ritabrata Banerjee On Wednesday, Ritabrata Banerjee – a former communist-turned-TMC leader who once claimed to see Russian revolutionary Vladimir Lenin in Mamata Banerjee – became West Bengal’s new Leader of Opposition with the support of 58 TMC MLAs. Life has come full circle for Banerjee. He has been expelled twice – first from the CPI(M) and then from the TMC. But instead of being crushed into oblivion, Banerjee rose like a phoenix and came to believe that the party of ‘Ma, Mati, Manush’ needed a Bolshevik-style revolution of its own. Read More: As TMC Faces Headwinds, The Question Grows: Who Still Stands With Mamata? Speaking to News18 after becoming LoP, the man who virtually split the TMC said: “I am not such a big leader to send a message to Mamata Banerjee. She is a very tall leader. But the way Abhishek Banerjee has been beaten and the way people have been chanting ‘chor chor’ after seeing him tells you what happens when the 22-car convoy goes back. People, people and people alone are the driving force of history and there is no space for despots in history." Ritabrata may have brought the TMC to its knees and split it down the middle, but he insists that Mamata Banerjee remains his leader while describing her nephew as a “despot".
In fact, on May 27, he and fellow expelled TMC MLA Sandipan shot off a letter to the Assembly Speaker’s office alleging forged signatures, based on which a complaint was lodged at the Hare Street police station. The CID also sprang into action. But how many know that Ritabrata’s emergence in Bengal’s political arena was largely due to former Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee? Ritabrata was his protégé. Within the CPI(M), Ritabrata was widely regarded as belonging to Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee’s political camp. Unlike many younger leaders who rose through the party’s organisational machinery, Ritabrata’s ascent was often linked to the confidence Buddhadeb placed in him. He emerged as a prominent SFI leader and eventually became the organisation’s all-India General Secretary in 2008. By the early 2010s, when the CPI(M) was grappling with its loss of power in West Bengal, Buddhadeb remained one of the party’s most influential figures and Ritabrata his blue-eyed boy. The clearest evidence of their closeness came in 2014, when Ritabrata was nominated to the Rajya Sabha at the age of 34, largely because of Buddhadeb’s backing. He was seen as sympathetic to the reformist instincts associated with Buddhadeb’s tenure as chief minister – particularly the emphasis on modernisation, communication and connecting with younger voters, themes that resonated strongly with Bhattacharjee. A rising star of Bengal’s communist movement, where appearing poor was often considered fashionable, Ritabrata committed what many saw as a cardinal sin: sporting an Apple Watch and flaunting a Montblanc pen.
The images made front-page headlines in Bengali newspapers. The relationship became politically significant after Ritabrata’s suspension and eventual expulsion from the CPI(M) in 2017 over allegations of anti-party activities and disciplinary violations. By then, Buddhadeb’s health had deteriorated and his influence within the party had waned. Ritabrata is many shades of personality rolled into one. In 2024, after receiving a Rajya Sabha nomination from the TMC, he told a Bengali news portal that he found Lenin in Mamata Banerjee. To convince the interviewer, the former CPI(M) leader quoted a lesson from his party classes on Lenin: “Politics begins where the masses are, not where there are thousands, but where there are millions. That is where serious politics begins." He said he realised the meaning of that quote through Mamata Banerjee. Jump back a decade and the picture was very different. In 2012, six people, including then SFI General Secretary Ritabrata Banerjee, heckled then Finance Minister Amit Mitra at what was then the Planning Commission. Ritabrata led the protesters who tore Mitra’s kurta, forcing then Leader of Opposition Surjya Kanta Mishra to publicly condemn the actions of his own students’ wing. Mamata Banerjee – whom Ritabrata would compare to Lenin just a few years later – alleged that she too had been heckled. Congress leader and then Union Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde ordered a probe. As a result, all six protesters, including Ritabrata, were arrested. Today, Ritabrata Banerjee is no longer merely Buddhadeb’s protégé, nor is he a politician being rehabilitated by Mamata Banerjee.
The 46-year-old is now charting his own political destiny. As Bengal unlocks a new era of political uncertainty and opportunity, leaders like him may find themselves more relevant than ever. But one question remains: who would Ritabrata Banerjee call Lenin today — Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee, Mamata Banerjee, or Suvendu Adhikari? News18 Newsletter Handpicked stories, in your inbox A newsletter with the best of our journalism submit About the Author Anindya Banerjee Anindya Banerjee, Associate Editor brings over fifteen years of journalistic courage to the forefront. With a keen focus on politics and policy, Anindya has garnered a wealth of experience, with deep... Read More First Published: June 04, 2026, 10:38 IST News india Ritabrata Once Saw Lenin In Mamata Banerjee, Now He Is Driving A TMC ‘Bolshevik Revolution’ Disclaimer: Comments reflect users’ views, not News18’s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments...
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