Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee was a good man in a bad party: Bengal CM Adhikari
Synopsis
Nineteen years after the Nandigram bloodshed, Bengal CM Suvendu Adhikari offered a pointed tribute to late CPI(M) CM Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee — praising the man while condemning the party — at the same Martyrs' Day event that marks the violence that eventually ended Left rule in the state. It is a rare, calculated cross-party gesture with sharp electoral undertones.
Key Takeaways
West Bengal CM Suvendu Adhikari called late Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee 'a good man in a bad party' at a Martyrs' Day event in East Midnapore on 10 November 2026 .
The programme commemorated the 19th anniversary of the Nandigram violence of 10 November 2007 , in which CPI(M) activists and TMC-led protesters clashed over a proposed chemical hub land acquisition.
Adhikari disclosed he recently visited Mira Bhattacharjee , the late CM's widow, who has previously backed his industrialisation push.
CPI(M) veteran Biman Bose was cited by Adhikari, who recalled Bose's 'new sunrise' remark from 2007 and reiterated his own commitments from that movement.
Adhikari predicted the All India Trinamool Congress (TMC) would not remain politically relevant in West Bengal for the next 100 years .
West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari on Tuesday, 10 November 2026, offered a rare cross-party tribute to his late predecessor Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee, calling him 'a good man in a bad party' while addressing a Martyrs' Day programme at Gokulnagar in East Midnapore district. The event marked 19 years since the deadly clashes of 10 November 2007 in Nandigram, which became a watershed moment in West Bengal's political history.
The Nandigram Context
The Nandigram violence of 2007 erupted over a proposed land acquisition by the then Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee-led Communist Party of India (Marxist) government, which sought to set up a chemical hub in the region. Clashes between CPI(M) activists and the Trinamool Congress-led Land Eviction Prevention Committee resulted in deaths and disappearances. The annual Martyrs' Day programme at Gokulnagar commemorates those killed or reported missing in the violence.
What Adhikari Said
'After November 10, 2007, there was a bloody sunrise. I pay my respects to the then Chief Minister. I will not mention his name. He has passed away. He was very honest in his personal life. He was a very good person. But the party that he belonged to is bad,' Adhikari said, addressing the gathering on Tuesday afternoon. The remarks, carefully avoiding naming the deceased leader directly, reflect a nuanced political gesture — separating the man from the institution.
A Cordial Equation With the Bhattacharjee Family
Adhikari also spoke of his personal rapport with Mira Bhattacharjee, the late chief minister's widow. 'A few days ago, she fell ill. I went to visit her,' he said. Notably, Mira Bhattacharjee has previously expressed appreciation for Adhikari's industrialisation push and indicated she believed he could carry forward some of her late husband's unfulfilled development goals for the state — an extraordinary acknowledgment given the bitter political rivalry of the Nandigram era.
A Jibe at CPI(M) and a Warning for TMC
Adhikari also recalled veteran CPI(M) leader Biman Bose's remarks in the aftermath of the 2007 violence. 'Octogenarian Biman Bose is still alive. I pay my respects to him. But I will remind him that at that time he said that there had been a new sunrise in Nandigram. Nineteen years have passed since then. I am still committed to the promise that I made on that day,' the Chief Minister said. In a sharp political prediction, Adhikari went further, declaring that the All India Trinamool Congress (TMC) would cease to be a relevant political force in West Bengal within the next 100 years.
The Broader Political Significance
This comes amid an ongoing consolidation drive by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in West Bengal, where the party is seeking to expand its footprint ahead of the next state assembly election. By invoking Nandigram — a movement that helped Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and TMC displace CPI(M) from power in 2011 — Adhikari is positioning himself as the torchbearer of that anti-Left legacy, while simultaneously targeting TMC. The tribute to Bhattacharjee, carefully hedged as personal and not political, is an unusual rhetorical move that appeals simultaneously to Left sympathisers and those who value civic decency over partisan loyalty.
Point of View
He occupies moral high ground without conceding any political territory to the Left. More tellingly, the revelation that he visited Mira Bhattacharjee signals an attempt to claim a development-first legacy that the late CM once represented, contrasting it with what BJP frames as TMC's governance failures. Using the Nandigram anniversary to simultaneously eulogise an opponent and write TMC's obituary is a calculated play for the floating Left voter — a constituency that swung away from CPI(M) in 2011 and has remained in flux. Whether the gambit lands will depend on whether West Bengal's electorate still connects Nandigram's memory to present-day political choices.
NationPress
10 Nov 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
What did Bengal CM Suvendu Adhikari say about Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee?
Adhikari called Bhattacharjee 'a good man in a bad party' at a Martyrs' Day programme on 10 November 2026, praising his personal honesty while criticising CPI(M) as an institution. He deliberately avoided naming the late CM directly, citing respect for the deceased.
What is Nandigram Martyrs' Day and why is it observed?
Nandigram Martyrs' Day is observed on 10 November each year to commemorate those killed or reported missing during the 2007 clashes in Nandigram, East Midnapore. The violence erupted when CPI(M) activists and the TMC-led Land Eviction Prevention Committee clashed over proposed land acquisition for a chemical hub project.
What is Suvendu Adhikari's connection to the Nandigram movement?
Adhikari was a central figure in the 2007 Nandigram agitation against the Bhattacharjee government's land acquisition plans. He has repeatedly referenced his commitments made during that movement and uses the annual Martyrs' Day programme to reaffirm them.
What did Adhikari say about Biman Bose and TMC?
Adhikari recalled veteran CPI(M) leader Biman Bose's remark that there had been 'a new sunrise in Nandigram' after the 2007 violence, and said 19 years on he remained committed to his own promises from that period. He also predicted that TMC would not remain politically relevant in West Bengal for the next 100 years.
What is the significance of Adhikari's visit to Mira Bhattacharjee?
Adhikari disclosed that he recently visited Mira Bhattacharjee, Buddhadeb's widow, after she fell ill. Mira Bhattacharjee has previously expressed appreciation for Adhikari's industrialisation push, suggesting a thaw between the families of two ideologically opposed political traditions.
