Abhishek Banerjee breaks silence on Kalyan Banerjee's 'arrogance' remark: 'He has right to express himself'

AMid the seething intragroup rifts in the Trinamool us congress, the party's subject superior general secretarial assistant Abhishek Banerjee has responded to the scathing attack by Kalyan Banerjee who had called 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." Also Read I 'Can't treat me like a dustbin': Kalyan Banerjee's outburst on Abhishek worsens TMC crisisKalyan Banerjee's attacksThe 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 forgery 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.”Additionally, Kalyan Banerjee also expressed his frustration regarding a switch from “Mamata's model” to a “Diamond Harbour model” (a term used to refer to Abhishek Banerjee's strategies" in internal party politics. Multiple party members have allegedly quoted Abhishek Banerjee's arrogance as a reason to step out.Mamata balances a difficult swingCaught in a high tide of rebellion from all corners, Mamata Banerjee gained support from three of her MPs, two of whom the BJP had declared rebels- Shatrughan Sinha and Pratima Mondal."I am a strong supporter of people's happiness and sorrows, and I am with Mamta ji in this moment,” Sinha remarked in an interview with news agency ANI on Friday. “I was with her, and I will continue to be with her. For now, I have no intention of going in any other direction or forming any other alliance.”In addition, when asked about Kalyan Banerjee's comments on Abhishek Banerjee's functioning, Sinha described the former as an “intellectual par excellence” but also added that all grievances must be resolved through internal party channels.Also Read I 'Mamata Banerjee is my leader, not Abhishek or anyone else': Shatrughan Sinha vows to stand by Didi amid TMC riftMondal also asserted his support by stating, “The false news that is being spread is not good, not for the public who elected me in the election, and not for me either. I have not even gone to Delhi,” news agency PTI reports.Rajya Sabha MP Babul Supriyo and former BJP minister also reaffirmed his support for ‘Didi’ with a statement on his social media handle. “Amidst all this confusion and rumours, I want to make it amply clear that I am neither joining any faction nor any other party. It is inappropriate to abandon a ship when it is in troubled waters,” he wrote. The onus of resolving internal disputes and settling fires between its two fraying divisions now falls upon Mamata Banerjee, who is yet to make a public statement or take action on the matter.