Abhishek Banerjee breaks silence on Kalyan Banerjee’s ‘arrogance’ remark, says ‘he has right to express himself’
Amid the seething internal rifts in the Trinamool Congress, the party’s national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee has responded to the scathing attack by Kalyan Banerjee, calling him “arrogant”.
“Kalyan Banerjee is older than me,” said Abhishek Banerjee told the reporters on Friday evening. “He has the right to express his views. He has seen me from childhood. I won’t speak anything against him.”
Kalyan Banerjee’s attacks
The remarks come in response to the 69-year-old lawyer’s statements in light of the current signature scandal surrounding the party. “I have told Derek (O’Brien) that Mamata Banerjee has to choose — it’s either him (Abhishek Banerjee) or me,’’ Kalyan Banerjee had said, “It’s too much arrogance. Look what it has done to the party. I have always said that you can be my leader only when you win Tripura or Goa.”
Alongside claims by several members to quit the party, TMC is also engaged in what has been described as ‘Signgate’, a CID investigation alleging the foregery of several party legislators’ signatures on official documents submitted to the West Bengal Assembly. The controversy has already resulted in the expulsion of two TMC MLAs and placed senior leaders under intense scrutiny.
Also Read I What is the forged signature scandal rocking TMC, Mamata Banerjee after Bengal poll defeat?
“On Friday, I was handling this case, and then there were raids and I mentioned the case on Wednesday. Suddenly they said, they will send someone else,” Kalyan Banerjee alleged in relation to the case. “I have 45 years of experience, they cannot treat me like a dustbin. I waited for work all day and then they decide to send someone called Ayan Bhattacharjee.”
