'Abhishek Banerjee is like my son, duty of father to forgive': Kalyan Banerjee strike reconciliatory note

Kolkata: After serving Mamata Banerjee an ultimatum to choose between him and her nephew Abhishek Banerjee, TMC MP Kalyan Banerjee has struck a rconciliatory note. Amid reports of fractures within the Trinamool Congress (TMC), Kalyan Banerjee on Saturday called party colleague Abhishek Banerjee his "son" and said it is the duty of the father to pardon all the mistakes committed by a son.

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"He is like my son. It is the work of the father to forgive all faults made by a son. Democracy is under threat in the country. West Bengal never faced a situation where the opposition was wiped out. This CM is vindictive. This is a danger for democracy," he told ANI

The senior TMC leader also spoke on dissident MPs prepared to approach Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla

"Let them do what they want. They will have to live under the shelter of the BJP. All this is a ploy. They cite the reason as development of their constituencies, but those who cannot even visit their constituencies, so what work will they do. When democracy has finished in West Bengal. What development has been done in the last one month, even after talks with the CM? BJP is harassing us, the police are harassing us. No Opposition in West Bengal has ever faced such a thing as what we are facing. The 19 MPs who are going to BJP, will not be accepted by the BJP."

He also clarified that the TMC is not merging with the Congress. "We are not merging with the Congress."

Banerjee's remarks come after Criminal Investigation Department (CID) officials conducted searches at the Kalighat residence of TMC MP Abhishek Banerjee in Kolkata.

Trinamool Congress Rajya Sabha MP Sagarika Ghose said that the police arrived at Banerjee's residence at 3 am on Saturday.

"3 AM Saturday June 13. Police arrive at Abhishek Banerjee's @abhishekaitc's Kalighat residence in Kolkata. 5 AM: Disaster Management team called in to break open locks. 6:30 AM: Search begins, from second floor to terrace, lasting 90 minutes. Outcome? Seizure report says : NIL. No evidence. No wrongdoing. NOTHING. Just political vendetta, intimidation and mental torture. Operation Lotus is targeting every leader who refuses to surrender to the BJP's diktat. Disgraceful attack on an opposition leader. VINDICTIVE, CONNIVING, scumbag LOW LIFE tactics. SHAME."

The developments come amid growing political turmoil in the state, with an FIR reportedly being lodged against former Chief Minister and TMC chief Mamata Banerjee over alleged communal remarks made during a protest against the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise.

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According to allegations, Banerjee had told members of a minority community that their safety depended on her leadership and urged them not to be influenced by what she termed the BJP's "misleading" statements.