Netaji’s grandnephew Chandra Bose quits TMC, says BJP and Trinamool are two sides of same coin

Mangalore Today News Network

Kolkata, Aug 4, 2026: Chandra Kumar Bose, grandnephew of freedom fighter Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, has resigned from the Trinamool Congress (TMC), just four months after joining the party ahead of the West Bengal Assembly elections.

The resignation marks another political shift for the former BJP state vice-president, who has consistently maintained that his political ideology is rooted in Netaji’s principles rather than allegiance to any political party.

Announcing his decision, Bose said he would now mentor a proposed youth-led political platform inspired by Netaji’s ideals, offering what he described as an alternative to the politics of polarisation and confrontation.

"I have been in the Forward Bloc, BJP and TMC. I am disillusioned with the mainstream political parties. They are all the same, just two sides of the same coin," Bose told PTI.

He said the proposed platform would be based on Netaji’s vision of inclusive nationalism, secularism, social justice and development, with young leaders taking the initiative while he serves as a mentor.

There was no immediate reaction from the TMC.

Another political shift

Bose’s resignation comes amid significant political changes in West Bengal following the BJP’s victory in the recent Assembly elections, which ended the TMC’s uninterrupted 15-year rule.

Although not regarded as a mass electoral leader, Bose has remained a prominent political figure because of his family legacy and his continued efforts to promote Netaji’s ideology in contemporary politics.

From Forward Bloc to BJP and TMC

A former member of the Forward Bloc, the party founded by Netaji, Bose joined the BJP in 2016 during the party’s expansion in West Bengal. He served as the BJP’s state vice-president and contested both the 2016 Assembly elections and the 2019 Lok Sabha polls on the party’s ticket.

His relationship with the BJP later soured. After being dropped as state vice-president during an organisational reshuffle in 2020, he increasingly criticised the party leadership.

In 2023, Bose resigned from the BJP, alleging that it had failed to uphold the inclusive nationalist ideals of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose and Sarat Chandra Bose.

When he joined the TMC in April this year, he described his decision to join the BJP as a "mistake" and accused the saffron party of practising divisive politics in the name of religion. He had then expressed hope that the TMC would provide a platform to uphold constitutional values and inclusive politics.

However, his latest resignation indicates growing disenchantment with the TMC as well.

Champion of Netaji’s legacy

Beyond electoral politics, Bose has been one of the leading campaigners for preserving Netaji’s legacy. As spokesperson of the Open Platform for Netaji, he has spearheaded efforts seeking the declassification of official files related to the freedom fighter and greater public access to archival records concerning Netaji’s life and disappearance.