West Bengal politics: Suvendu Adhikari probes injury claims as Priyanka Kakkar joins Congress

West Bengal politics is facing significant shifts as Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari has announced a fresh inquiry into claims made by former Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee regarding a 2021 leg injury. Adhikari alleges the injury was ‘false propaganda’ used for electoral sympathy, citing a medical report from the Bangur Institute of Neurosciences that showed no evidence of a fracture. Trinamool Congress leaders have challenged the authenticity of the report, suggesting it may have been doctored.

In a separate political development, Priyanka Kakkar, a former national spokesperson for the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), has officially joined the Congress party. Kakkar cited a changing political culture within AAP, specifically criticizing the use of private helicopters and a departure from the party’s original principles, stating she could no longer ‘defend the indefensible’. She was joined by former Uttar Pradesh MLA Shyam Sundar Sharma and journalist Rajat Rakesh Tandon.

Additionally, senior Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury has publicly invited Mamata Banerjee to merge the Trinamool Congress with the Congress party, suggesting a return to her political roots.