Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Kalyan Banerjee, who recently had to step down from the position of the party's chief whip in the Lok Sabha, said on Tuesday that his loyalty to Mamata Banerjee is unquestionable and it will remain the same, as he took to X to clarify why he was not present at the opposition's protest against the SIR the previous day.
In a post on X, Banerjee said he could not join the "dharna" against the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the electoral rolls in Bihar on Monday as he had to attend important matters in the Supreme Court, including a hearing on a petition filed by the TMC against the SIR.
Besides, he also attended the inauguration of new MP flats by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, as he is a member of the Parliamentary House Committee.
"I have been a member of the Parliamentary House Committee since 2014. Under our direct supervision and vision -- most of the proposals coming from me -- we worked tirelessly to build 184 flats at Baba Kharak Singh Marg for Members of Parliament, to tackle the severe shortage of bungalows for newly elected MPs," Banerjee said.
"This was no small task, but we got it done. Yesterday at 10 am, the Hon'ble Prime Minister inaugurated the complex, and by 10:30 am, I had left for the Supreme Court to attend to two important matters -- our party's challenge to the Special Intensive Revision( SIR) of the voter list, which was heard yesterday and again today, and a crucial matter on OBC issues," he said.
{{/usCountry}}"This was no small task, but we got it done. Yesterday at 10 am, the Hon'ble Prime Minister inaugurated the complex, and by 10:30 am, I had left for the Supreme Court to attend to two important matters -- our party's challenge to the Special Intensive Revision( SIR) of the voter list, which was heard yesterday and again today, and a crucial matter on OBC issues," he said.
{{/usCountry}}"Because of this, I could not join the Dharna in front of the Election Commission," the TMC leader added.
Without naming anyone, he said, "I don't owe an explanation for my absence, but I know there are people who are always looking for a chance to attack me."
"Let them try -- last election, even with all their plotting, I won by a margin of 1,75,000 votes. Brother, I have my own conviction, honesty, and sincerity. My loyalty to Mamata Banerjee is unquestionable and it will remain the same," Banerjee said.
The TMC on Tuesday accepted Banerjee's resignation as the party's Lok Sabha chief whip and swiftly named Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar as his successor.
Banerjee had earlier publicly questioned the attendance of fellow TMC MPs in Parliament and wondered whether Mamata Banerjee was aware of how the parliamentary party was functioning, after he was blamed for lack of coordination among the party MPs.
He has also been in reports for tiffs with other TMC MPs.