‘Abhishek is like my son’: Kalyan Banerjee strikes conciliatory note
On Friday, Abhishek had described Kalyan as an elder who had "brought him up" politically and therefore had every right to criticise him
After launching an unprecedented attack on Trinamool Congress (TMC) general secretary Abhishek Banerjee, party’s senior MP Kalyan Banerjee on Saturday (June 13) struck a conciliatory note calling him “son” and stating that he would forgive all his faults.
The latest remarks come after Kalyan had accused Abhishek of arrogance, and having distanced himself from all legal matters involving the Diamond Harbour MP and even issuing what appeared to be an ultimatum to TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee to choose between her nephew and veterans like him.
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“I will remain in this party only if Abhishek is removed from all leadership positions and retained only as an ordinary worker. Abhishek, who misbehaves with seniors and has an attitude of a boss, cannot be my leader in the party. It will not be possible for me to remain in the TMC, if he remains the leader,” Kalyan said on Thursday.
“Didi (Mamata Banerjee) must take the final call on whether she will retain her blood relative or workers like me who have put in 40 years of our lives for her and this party,” he added.
‘Democracy under threat’
"He (Abhishek) spoke yesterday. He is like my son. It is the work of the father to forgive all faults made by a son. Democracy is under threat in the country. West Bengal never faced a situation where the Opposition was wiped out. This CM is vindictive. This is a danger for democracy," Kalyan told news agency ANI.
On Friday, Abhishek had described Kalyan as an elder who had "brought him up" politically and therefore had every right to criticise him.
"Kalyan Banerjee has seen me grow up. He is a senior leader of the party. He has every right to say a few harsh words to me. There is no reason to create unnecessary controversy over it," Abhishek told reporters while leaving Mamata's Kalighat residence in Kolkata after a meeting of the party's top leadership.
TMC crisis
The conciliation comes at a time when the TMC is grappling with the fallout of its crushing defeat in the recent West Bengal assembly elections and an increasingly visible churn within both its legislative and parliamentary wings.
The Assembly poll setback has triggered open dissent among a section of MLAs and MPs, many of whom have questioned Abhishek's leadership and his growing influence over organisational affairs.
On Monday, a group of 20 Lok Sabha MPs led by party chief whip Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar claimed to have written to Speaker Om Birla seeking recognition as a separate bloc supporting the BJP-led NDA, triggering an unprecedented split in the party's parliamentary ranks.
The parliamentary revolt followed a dramatic upheaval in the West Bengal Assembly last week, where 58 of the TMC's 80 MLAs broke ranks with the party leadership and backed expelled MLA Ritabrata Banerjee as Leader of the Opposition instead of the party's official nominee, Sovandeb Chattopadhyay.
The twin rebellions plunged Mamata Banerjee's outfit into what many observers described as its gravest organisational crisis since its formation in 1998, raising questions about authority, succession and the balance of power within the party.