Trinamool Congress leader Abhishek Banerjee on Saturday challenged former party colleagues who had quit the TMC and were now criticising him to return to TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee.“Those who left the party and are now abusing or blaming me today… I challenge them to return to Didi (Mamata Banerjee),” Abhishek said. Asserting that they would not do so because they had “made a deal” with the BJP for protection from central investigative agencies, Banerjee said he would resign from the party within an hour if any of them accepted his challenge.“If they do, I will resign from the party within an hour… But they won’t. They have made a deal with the BJP: leave the party, join the rebel camp or the BJP, take protection from the ED, CBI and other agencies and then blame and abuse Abhishek Banerjee,” he added. Abhishek said those who switched political sides after receiving summons from central investigative agencies did so out of fear.“Everyone has the right to make their own decision and go wherever they want. But if someone switches sides the moment they receive an ED summons, it is clear they do not want to fight. They are afraid, and only those who are afraid give in,” he said.He also referred to the multiple investigations against him, saying he had faced repeated summons but had never ‘run away.”“I have also been summoned by the ED. I did not run away. I have been called around 10 times. The CBI, STF and state police have also summoned me. There are 20-30 FIRs against me. I myself do not know the exact number. I have approached the High Court seeking a list from the DGP of all the FIRs registered against me,” he added.Earlier this week, Mamata Banerjee strongly defended her nephew Abhishek Banerjee, saying he had “done no wrong” and would remain in politics for the next 50 years.Striking a defiant note, Mamata Banerjee accused the BJP of using central investigative agencies and the police to orchestrate defections from the Trinamool Congress, saying she was prepared to rebuild the party from scratch if necessary. She also alleged that her political opponents wanted her dead.The latest development comes amid the Trinamool Congress’ biggest organisational crisis since its formation in 1998. Several senior leaders and MLAs have joined a rival faction led by Ritabrata Banerjee, with many attributing their exit to Abhishek Banerjee’s growing influence within the party.The rebellion has also reached Parliament, where several Lok Sabha MPs have broken away from the Mamata Banerjee-led camp. With rival factions now operating parallel organisational structures, the leadership tussle has emerged as the defining challenge facing the party.
