NEW DELHI: Trinamool Congress (TMC) supremo Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday strongly defended her nephew and party’s national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee, saying he had ‘done no wrong’ and would remain in politics for the next 50 years. Her remarks came as the party continues to face defections and an internal rebellion over his growing influence.Earlier in the day, senior TMC MLA Madan Mitra quit the Mamata Banerjee-led faction and joined the rival camp headed by Ritabrata Banerjee. Mitra had blamed Abhishek Banerjee’s leadership style for his decision and claimed his request for Abhishek to step aside temporarily had been rejected.Addressing party workers through a Facebook live interaction, Mamata dismissed the criticism against Abhishek and accused rebel leaders of unfairly targeting him.“They should learn from Abhishek Banerjee. Had they managed things better, perhaps they too could have obtained relief. Those who are now claiming that Abhishek Banerjee is making excuses should remember that he is holding up a mirror to them. Their criticism is merely an excuse to target him. They know Abhishek has done no wrong. That is precisely why they are afraid that he will remain in politics for the next 50 years,” she said.Backing her nephew, Mamata said Abhishek had faced investigations without compromising.“Abhishek Banerjee has been turned into an excuse. His family members were summoned. Had he wanted, he could have got relief. But he did not run away from the battlefield. The way he has continued to fight, all his flaws have been forgiven. He is fighting like a tiger,” she said.Striking a defiant note, Mamata accused the BJP of using central agencies and police to engineer defections and said she was prepared to rebuild the Trinamool Congress from scratch if necessary. She also alleged that her political opponents wanted her dead.“They wanted me to suffer a heart attack. But I will live till I see your end,” she said.Referring to Madan Mitra’s exit, Mamata linked his decision to the Enforcement Directorate (ED) summons issued to his wife and two sons in connection with the alleged municipal recruitment scam.“We understood that Madan Mitra might switch camps as he and his family had received summons; those who have a ‘setting’ are joining BJP’s ‘washing machine’,” she said.The TMC chief also alleged that central agencies and police were being used to engineer defections from her party.“We still have 18 MPs in Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha; those MPs who have joined ‘setting company’ have done so because they are afraid of police,” she said.She asserted that a few leaders leaving would not weaken the party.“A few leaders leaving party won’t weaken TMC, will continue our fight as people’s love remains our ultimate symbol,” she said.Mamata also apologised to the people for the actions of leaders who had left the party.“We have learnt lessons, want to apologise on behalf of ‘traitors’ who sided with BJP,” she said.The TMC chief vowed to rebuild the organisation if required, saying the party had overcome difficult phases before and would continue its political fight.The latest development come amid the biggest organisational crisis in the TMC since its formation in 1998. Several senior leaders and MLAs have joined the rival faction led by Ritabrata Banerjee, with many blaming Abhishek Banerjee’s growing authority within the party.The rebellion has also spread to Parliament, with several Lok Sabha MPs breaking away from the Mamata Banerjee-led camp. Rival groups are now operating parallel organisational structures, making the leadership battle the central issue within the party.Mamata’s latest remarks are seen as her strongest public endorsement of Abhishek Banerjee since the split, signalling that she remains firmly behind him despite the growing rebellion and continued defections from the party.
