In a rare and significant political gesture, the Trinamool Congress (TMC), the governing party of West Bengal, publicly felicitated a same-sex couple from the Sundarbans region on Monday, November 10, 2025. This event marks what is possibly the first time a major political party in India has openly celebrated a same-sex marriage.
Riya Sardar, from the Mandirbazar police station area, and Rakhi Naskar, from Bakultala in the Kultali block, both in their early twenties and working as professional dancers, tied the knot on November 4 at the Paler Chak temple in Jalaberia. The ceremony, complete with traditional rituals including garlands, conch shells, and ululation, was attended and blessed by hundreds of villagers. This public display of affection and commitment is particularly noteworthy given the deeply conservative social environment of the Sundarbans.
In India, same-sex marriages currently lack legal recognition, and the issue remains pending before the Supreme Court. Against this backdrop, Riya and Rakhi's wedding was a courageous act of love and a quiet rebellion against societal norms.
Following instructions from TMC National General Secretary and Diamond Harbour MP Abhishek Banerjee, the couple was felicitated at a TMC-organized event in Kultali. Mathurapur MP Bapi Halder, local MLA Ganeshchandra Mondal, and other leaders were present. During the program, Abhishek Banerjee spoke to the gathering via phone, congratulating the couple and hailing their decision as a watershed moment for Bengal.
"From the soil of the Sundarbans, a unique history has been created," Banerjee stated, adding that Riya and Rakhi had demonstrated "the true meaning of love" by defying society's outdated norms. He emphasized that love transcends boundaries of religion, gender, caste, society, and rules. Banerjee also acknowledged the villagers of Kultali for their support of the couple. He said that their action was not just the pride of a village or a district, but the pride of Bengal and the entire nation and that they have broken the cage of old thinking and shown that the people of the Sundarbans are not only children of nature but also large-hearted in spirit.
Banerjee framed the felicitation as part of a broader political stance against the BJP's opposition to same-sex unions. He asserted that the TMC rejects such rigidity and that Riya and Rakhi's courage, mutual respect, and commitment would serve as an example for generations, demonstrating that love is humanity and humanity is our true identity.
Party insiders have described Banerjee's involvement in the local event as a deliberate and strategic move to project the TMC as an inclusive and socially progressive platform, especially for marginalized gender identities. The TMC has claimed that the residents of the Sundarbans village, where Riya Sardar and Rakhi Naskar solemnized their marriage, have set an extraordinary example and that they firmly believe that a truly progressive society is one that celebrates love, equality, and freedom in all its forms.
In addition, as a gesture of appreciation for the village's open-mindedness, the Mamata Banerjee government will undertake development work worth Rs 25 lakh in the village.
