Mamata at a Crossroads: A Choice Between a Veteran Leader and Her Nephew

Mamata Banerjee faces a choice between Kalyan Banerjee and Abhishek Banerjee as TMC tensions rise.

By Pranjal Gupta

New Delhi, June 11: Mamata Didi has now been caught at the crossroads where she has to choose her nephew Abhishek Banerjee and senior advocate Kalyan Banerjee, who has spent nearly 25 years working in the Trinamool Congress (TMC). The veteran leader refused to defend party general secratary Abhishek Banerjee in the Calcutta High Court, seeking protection from any coercive action by the state CID over its probe into alleged forgery of party MLAs' signatures. On Wednesday, Kalyan told media reporters that Banerjee "thinks everyone is beneath him".

Kalyan stated that he had been working relentlessly on the case, while he was quietly replaced by another senior advocate. He was not even informed when another writ was already filed in the matter. Unaware of this, Kalyan rushed to Bengal when Abhishek's Carmac Street residence and Mamata's office was raided on Tuesday.

Editorial graphic showing Mamata Banerjee standing at the centre between a veteran TMC leader and her nephew, symbolising an internal party power struggle. The dramatic backdrop features cracks and political rally imagery, highlighting a crossroads moment for the Trinamool Congress.

"I had come from Delhi and went there as well. I was present during the search. Then yesterday morning, I mentioned the matter before Justice Kaushik Chanda, saying that it was urgent.  I told him that the search was illegal. The search had already taken place, and anything could happen at any time, so the matter needed to be heard. The judge told me that the matter would be heard that day, said Kalyan."

Then Kalyan said, "After that, around 12.30 pm, a lawyer came and informed me that a separate writ petition had been filed regarding the search and that a senior lawyer would be handling it. I asked, 'If you had already filed this matter, why didn't you discuss it with us? This is completely illegal.'"

Meanwhile, the Calcutta High Court heard the matter on Wednesday, and scheduled it for Thursday after the Diamond Harbour MP, Abhishek Banerjee, submitted to the court that his office was raided by the CID on Tuesday in his absence.

Despite that, Kalyan said, he worked all night to be present before the court. "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 (Abhishek Banerjee) thinks everyone is beneath him, as if everyone is merely an employee from Camac Street. I have been in this profession for 45 years."

"But he has become so arrogant... does not respect anyone. That is why I have stepped aside. This morning I also told Didi: choose between me and Abhishek Banerjee," said Kalyan, leaving his affectionate Didi at the crossroad.