Furious Kalyan Banerjee issues ultimatum to Mamata amid TMC rebellion: 'Choose between Abhishek and me'

Amid rebellion in the Trinamool Congress, MP and advocate Kalyan Banerjee on Wednesday served an ultimatum to TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee while lashing out at General Secretary Abhishek Banerjee for changing his lawyer in the signature forgery case.

Kalyan Banerjee accused Abhishek of "disrespecting" everyone and asked the former West Bengal CM to choose between him and his nephew, Abhishek Banerjee.

Slamming Abhishek, Kalyan Banerjee called him arrogant and said the party's ongoing rift is due to him.

Kalyan Banerjee said, "...I will not appear for Abhishek Banerjee in any case because I do not like his arrogant attitude. I have spent 45 years in this profession; all these people have worked with me as juniors. How can he humiliate me? I am senior to him in politics as well. He cannot do this."

Kalyan Banerjee also alleged that the TMC lost the West Bengal Election 2026 because of Abhishek Banerjee.

"He [Abhishek] needs to understand that it is because of him that we lost. He also needs to understand that the party is facing this crisis because of him," he said.

"I cannot tolerate disrespect. I will urge Didi: if you will remain dependent on Abhishek Banerjee, then stick with him-leave me. But if you part ways with Abhishek Banerjee, then I am with you. He has destroyed our party," Kalyan Banerjee was quoted by ANI as saying.

Why is Kalyan Banerjee furious?

The Calcutta High Court said it will hear on Thursday Trinamool Congress MP Abhishek Banerjee's plea seeking protection from any coercive action by the state CID over its probe into alleged forgery of party MLAs' signatures.

The CID is conducting the probe based on a complaint by two legislators to the Assembly Secretariat that their signatures in the TMC's resolution for appointing Ballygunge MLA Sobhandeb Chattopadhyay as the leader of the opposition were forged.

Moving the court of Justice Kausik Chanda, the TMC leader's advocate Kalyan Banerjee sought an urgent hearing, saying that the Diamond Harbour MP's office was raided by the CID on Tuesday in his absence.

However, on Thursday, Kalyan Banerjee said the lawyer was changed at the last minute.

Kalyaan Banerjee said, "This CID-related matter was actually filed earlier. They had filed it first. On Friday, there was a vacation bench, and I waited the entire day, but the matter was not taken up. After that, I mentioned it before the court, and the judge said the matter would be heard on Wednesday."

He added, “As you know, on Tuesday, there were searches conducted at his residence on Camac Street and also at Didi's office. 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," Kalyan Banerjee 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," Kalyan Banerjee said.

"After that, nobody said anything the entire day," the TMC MP said, adding that he 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," Kalyan Banerjee added.

Hitting out at Abhishek Banerjee, Kalyan Banerjee said the Diamond Harbour MP "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? Is there anyone? How long have I been practising? 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.

Issuing an ultimatum to Mamata Banerjee, he said, “This morning I also told Didi: choose between Abhishek Banerjee and me.”

According to PTI, he said that he spoke to senior TMC leader Derek O'Brien, while Mamata Banerjee has not called him yet.

"Derek called me I informed me. Didi has not called me. I will be taking up other persons' and Trinamool Congress matters. He (Abhishek Banerjee) is not Trinamool Congress," Kalyan Banerjee said.

This comes amid turmoil within the All India Trinamool Congress, as the party faces internal rifts and factionalism, with several Rajya Sabha MPs quitting the party.

Earlier on Thursday, TMC MP Prakash Chik Baraik resigned from the Upper House. This marked the third such resignation within a week. On June 10, Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Sushmita Dev resigned as a member of the Upper House, while Sukhendu Sekhar Ray had resigned on June 8.