Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Kalyan Banerjee on Thursday said that party supremo Mamata Banerjee will have to decide whether she wants to keep him or party national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee,
asserting that he would not remain in the party if she believes the organisation cannot function without her nephew.
Speaking to reporters, the Serampore MP reiterated his loyalty to Mamata, while indicating that the party leadership would ultimately have to make a choice.
“I am with Mamata,” Kalyan Banerjee said.
“But Mamata has to decide whether she will keep Abhishek or keep me.”
When asked whether he would return if approached again, Banerjee said the decision rested entirely with the TMC chief.
“No, no. Mamata has to decide first,” he said.
Elaborating further, the TMC leader added, “Mamata has to first decide that, yes, she cannot move the party without Abhishek. Then I will not be there.”
The remarks are significant as they come amid discussions surrounding internal equations within the ruling Trinamool Congress and have brought renewed attention to the relationship between different power centres within the party.
Banerjee, a senior TMC parliamentarian known for his outspoken views, did not elaborate further on the circumstances behind his comments.
Earlier, Kalyan Banerjee also criticised the arrival of a West Bengal Criminal Investigation Department (CID) team at the residence of Mamata Banerjee in Kolkata.
Calling the move unlawful, the TMC MP alleged that it was motivated by a desire to harass the former Chief Minister.
“This is not in accordance with the law. No FIR has been lodged against Mamata Banerjee, nor has she been called as a witness anywhere. This is a vindictive attitude initiated by CM Suvendu Adhikari. They just want to harass Mamata Banerjee,” Banerjee told ANI.
A CID team reached Mamata Banerjee’s residence on Tuesday as part of an ongoing investigation linked to an alleged signature forgery case involving Trinamool Congress legislators.
Mamata Banerjee was not present at her Kolkata residence at the time.
The TMC chief is currently in New Delhi, where she attended an INDIA bloc meeting and also met Congress Parliamentary Party chairperson Sonia Gandhi.
The CID investigation has gained attention in recent weeks. Last week, investigators visited the residence of TMC leader Abhishek Banerjee in connection with the alleged forgery case.
The state CID has formed a five-member Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe allegations that signatures of Trinamool Congress legislators were forged.
As part of the investigation, statements of 13 TMC MLAs have been recorded.
Officials have stated that three legislators told investigators that the signatures appearing in the Meeting Resolution Book dated May 6 were not made by them.
