‘Choose between Abhishek or me’: Kalyan Banerjee’s blunt message to Mamata amid turmoil in TMC | India News

NEW DELHI: Trinamool Congress MP and Mamata Banerjee loyalist Kalyan Banerjee on Thursday gave an ultimatum to the party supremo claiming that she “will have to choose if she is with her nephew Abhishek Banerjee or a senior party workers like me.““I am with Mamata Banerjee, but Didi will have to decide if she is with Abhishek or the TMC. Mamata di has to decide first. If she cannot run the party without Abhishek, then I will not be there,” the four-time Lok Sabha MP and senior advocate told IANS.Speaking to PTI, Kalyan Banerjee said, “I told Derek to tell Mamata: choose between Abhishek Banerjee or a worker like me.”The sharp remarks come amid growing tensions within the Trinamool Congress following its recent electoral setback in West Bengal and signs of unrest within the party.The senior advocate also announced that he would no longer appear on behalf of Abhishek Banerjee in legal matters. His decision came after a petition filed by Abhishek challenging a summons issued by the West Bengal CID in the legislators’ signature mismatch case.On Thursday, Abhishek was represented by advocate Ayan Bhattacharya before the vacation bench of Justice Kaushik Chanda in the Calcutta High Court.Explaining his decision, Kalyan Banerjee alleged that Abhishek had shown repeated disrespect towards him despite his efforts to secure an urgent hearing in the matter.“I have decided to refrain from any legal matters concerning Abhishek Banerjee. His continuing arrogance is unimaginable. Yesterday, I raised his matter at the bench of Justice Chanda and pleaded for an urgent hearing. Accordingly, Thursday was fixed as the date of hearing. But last night, he called up my son and said that some other advocate, who is much junior to me in the legal profession, will represent him at the hearing on Thursday,” Kalyan Banerjee told reporters.‘He thinks everyone is beneath him’The TMC MP launched a scathing attack on Abhishek Banerjee, accusing him of arrogance and a lack of respect for senior leaders.“He thinks everyone is beneath him, as if everyone is merely an employee from Camac Street. I have been in this profession for 45 years. Who does not know me as a senior advocate? Leave aside this court, even in the Supreme Court people know me. But he has become so arrogant… does not respect anyone. That is why I have stepped aside,” he said.Kalyan Banerjee also alleged that he had spent considerable time preparing the case only to learn later that another lawyer had been engaged.“After that, nobody said anything the entire day. I spent the night preparing the case. Even today, you can see that I am going everywhere, taking risks and doing my work. Yet their habit of showing disrespect has not changed,” he said.