May 09, 2026 06:50 am IST

Blog | Suvendu Adhikari: The Man Who Never Forgot How He Was Denied A Stage In 2011

The story of Suvendu Adhikari begins in 2011 - from a stage in Dharmatala that made him invisible and denied him the limelight he thought should've been his.

Jayanta Ghoshal Jayanta Ghoshal Consultant, Editorial

Jayanta Ghoshal Consultant, Editorial

The year was 1993. On July 21, in the heart of Kolkata, police opened fire on a crowd of demonstrators. Thirteen people were killed. The march had been led by Mamata Banerjee, then a Young Congress leader, towards the Writers' Building as part of the "Writers' Chalo" movement. The incident shook Bengal politics to its core and would go on to become one of the most enduring emotional symbols of Mamata Banerjee's political movement.

Since then, every year, Mamata has observed July 21 as Shahid Dibas - Martyrs' Day. Even after the formation of the Trinamool Congress, the event continued to grow in scale and significance. Over the years, it became one of the biggest annual political gatherings in Bengal. 

The story of Suvendu Adhikari - one of Bengal's most consequential political figures of recent times - begins 18 years later, in 2011. That year, a huge event was organised at Brigade Parade Ground and Dharmatala under Mamata Banerjee's leadership. The crowd was enormous. The atmosphere was charged. By then, Mamata had already emerged as the undisputed force against the Left Front government, and the momentum for change in Bengal was building to a fever pitch.

Suvendu Adhikari was, at that time, the Youth Trinamool Congress president - an important organisational figure who had played a major role in strengthening the party at the grassroots level, especially in East Midnapore and adjoining regions. He was on stage that day. But something felt wrong.

The event management, stage announcements, and overall coordination were almost entirely in the hands of Kunal Ghosh, who was then extraordinarily prominent within the party and closely aligned with Mamata Banerjee. Kunal was making the announcements, directing the flow of the event, energising the crowd, and effectively conducting the entire gathering. Suvendu, despite his organisational stature, remained largely silent and inactive on stage - present, but peripheral. To many observers, it appeared as though he had been placed there simply to be seen, not heard.

For someone as politically ambitious and........

© NDTV