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Party insiders noted that Banerjee’s high-profile intervention in what was a small, block-level event was deliberate and strategic
While the BJP’s central leadership and several state leaders have publicly opposed legalising same-sex unions, Banerjee made it clear that his party rejected ‘such rigidity’. File pic
In a rare and strategically significant political gesture, Trinamool Congress (TMC) lawmaker Abhishek Banerjee publicly celebrated a same-sex marriage in the deeply conservative region of West Bengal’s Sundarbans, using the moment to draw a sharp contrast between his party’s inclusive philosophy and the opposition’s perceived rigidity on social issues.
On Monday, the TMC national general secretary and Diamond Harbour MP phoned and congratulated Riya Sardar (21) and Rakhi Naskar (20) during a local felicitation ceremony organised by the party. The young women, both professional dancers, had bravely tied the knot at the Paler Chak temple in Jalaberia, Kultali block, on November 4, defying traditional norms with the backing of hundreds of local villagers.
Banerjee, speaking to the gathering via a loudspeaker, described the wedding, which lacks legal sanction, as a “watershed moment for Bengal”. He emphasised that Riya and Rakhi’s courage was an example that love transcends all man-made barriers. “They have proved that love never stays trapped in boundaries. It recognises no barrier—not of religion, not of gender, not of caste, not of society, not of rules,” he said.
He further declared that the spontaneous acceptance shown by the Kultali villagers was a source of pride for the state and the nation. “This is not just the pride of a village or a district. This is the pride of Bengal… You have shown that the people of the Sundarbans are not only children of nature but also large-hearted in spirit,” said the MP.
Party insiders noted that Banerjee’s high-profile intervention in what was a small, block-level event was deliberate and strategic. The move allowed the TMC to explicitly frame the issue of LGBTQIA+ rights against the backdrop of its main rival.
While the BJP’s central leadership and several state leaders have publicly opposed legalising same-sex unions, Banerjee made it clear that his party rejected “such rigidity”. By publicly endorsing the same-sex marriage, the TMC is seeking to project itself as the genuinely socially progressive platform in the poll-bound state, appealing directly to marginalised communities and younger, urban voters who favour liberal values.
The News Desk is a team of passionate editors and writers who break and analyse the most important events unfolding in India and abroad. From live updates to exclusive reports to in-depth explainers, the Desk d…Read More
The News Desk is a team of passionate editors and writers who break and analyse the most important events unfolding in India and abroad. From live updates to exclusive reports to in-depth explainers, the Desk d… Read More
November 11, 2025, 06:10 IST
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