NEW DELHI: TMC leader Kalyan Banerjee on Saturday sought to soften his recent criticism of party national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee, describing him ‘like his son’ days after accusing him of arrogance and publicly questioning his role within the party.His remarks came as the Mamata Banerjee-led party battles one of the biggest internal rebellions in its history, with at least 19 Lok Sabha MPs from the rebel camp seeking separate recognition in Parliament and a string of resignations from senior leaders adding to the turmoil.Speaking to reporters, Kalyan Banerjee said he did not hold any personal grudge against Abhishek Banerjee despite their recent differences.“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 danger for democracy,” he said.Kalyan Banerjee’s latest comments mark a shift in tone from his sharp criticism earlier this week.On Thursday, the four-time Lok Sabha MP and senior advocate had publicly expressed frustration with Abhishek Banerjee, accusing him of repeatedly disrespecting senior leaders and displaying ‘continuing arrogance’. He had even said TMC chief Mamata Banerjee would have to choose between her nephew and long-time party workers.He also announced that he would no longer represent Abhishek Banerjee in legal matters after a dispute over legal representation in a case related to the legislators’ signature mismatch controversy.Kalyan Banerjee also took swipe at rebel TMC MP Satabdi Roy, one of the prominent faces of the dissident camp.Referring to her, he said: “After Suchitra Sen, Satabdi Roy is the next ‘maha-nayka’.”Attack on rebel MPsBanerjee also dismissed the significance of the 19 rebel MPs who are preparing to meet the Lok Sabha Speaker and seek separate seating arrangements.Accusing them of moving closer to the BJP, he said: “Let them do what they want. They will have to live under the shelter of the BJP. All this is a ploy. They cite the reason as development of their constituencies, but those who cannot even visit their constituencies, so what work will they do.”He further alleged that opposition leaders in West Bengal were facing harassment.“BJP is harassing us, the police are harassing us. No Opposition in West Bengal has ever faced such a thing as what we are facing. The 19 MPs who are going to BJP, will not be accepted by the BJP,” he said.The comments come at a time when TMC is grappling with an unprecedented internal crisis following its disappointing performance in the recent West Bengal Assembly elections.Several senior leaders have resigned from the party and the Rajya Sabha in recent days, including Sushmita Dev, Sukhendu Sekhar Roy and Prakash Chik Baraik.The rebel faction claims to have the support of at least 19 Lok Sabha MPs and several MLAs, raising questions over the future cohesion of the party founded by Mamata Banerjee.The dissident camp has denied speculation of a merger with the Congress, although reports of meetings with BJP leaders have fuelled speculation about a possible future alignment with the NDA.Amid reports of possible political realignments, Kalyan Banerjee also dismissed speculation that TMC could merge with the Congress.“We are not merging with the Congress,” he said.His remarks come as the party leadership attempts to contain the rebellion and prevent further defections from its parliamentary ranks.
