'I will resign within an hour': TMC's Abhishek Banerjee dares rebels to return to Mamata

Abhishek Banerjee said those blaming him should first return to the TMC if they truly believed in Mamata Banerjee's leadership.

Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Abhishek Banerjee on Saturday challenged former party leaders who switched sides or joined rebel camp after the BJP came to power in West Bengal, saying he would resign from the party within an hour if they returned to former chief minister Mamata Banerjee.

TMC MP Abhishek Banerjee says leaders who left Mamata Banerjee did so out of fear of ED. (PTI File)

Several MPs and MLAs who either left the TMC or joined the rebel faction after the assembly elections had alleged that one of the primary reasons behind their exit was Abhishek Banerjee's leadership style. More recently, senior TMC leaders Anubrata Mondal and MLA Madan Mitra, who made the exit, have publicly expressed frustration over TMC general secretary.

Both of them later joined the rebel camp led by Ritabrata Banerjee. The common frustration among the rebel leaders is that Mamata did not listen to their issues regarding Abhishek.

Responding to the criticism, Abhishek said those blaming him should first return to the TMC if they genuinely believed in Mamata's leadership.

“Those who left the party and are now abusing or blaming me today… I challenge them to return to Didi (Mamata Banerjee). 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,” TMC leader was quoted as saying by news agency ANI.

He further said everyone has the right to choose their political path, but alleged that leaders who switch sides immediately after receiving ED summons do so out of fear.

'Don't know how many FIRs are against me'

Banerjee said he himself had been summoned by the ED around 10 times and had also faced questioning by the CBI, STF and state police.

"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 said, in a video posted by news agency PTI.

His party office demolised, Abhishek vows to move court

Abhishek on Saturday alleged that the demolition of the party's Amtala office was politically motivated and accused the local administration of acting in collusion with the BJP. He said the TMC would challenge the action in the Calcutta high court, asserting that the office was built legally on privately purchased land with all necessary approvals.

He also dismissed allegations that the office was being used for booth-capturing conspiracies, saying no such claims could be substantiated during the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

"If that were true, why could such allegations not be established during the 2024 Lok Sabha elections?" Banerjee told reporters in Kolkata.