Bhunia went one step further calling for Congress going it alone in the 2016 Assembly elections and not join hands with the CPI-M - a possibility which is being widely speculated upon.
However, Bhunia's praise of Mamata did not find favour with state Congress president Adhir Chowdhury, who described the TMC as a party of "opportunists".
"We condemn the way the BJP is pursuing vendetta politics against the Congress and our leaders Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi. We are thankful to TMC and Mamata Banerjee for standing beside Congress in our fight against intolerance," Bhunia told reporters.
Opposing Bhunia's stance, Chowdhury alleged, "TMC is a party of opportunists. They change colours according to their own political needs. They don't have any principle."
Banerjee yesterday expressed solidarity with Congress president Sonia Gandhi, saying it makes her "sad" and "feel bad" that she was asked to appear in court in connection with the National Herald case.
