Amid TMC rebellion, Mamata Banerjee says Abhishek Banerjee ‘fighting like tiger’

Defending her nephew and party general secretary Abhishek Banerjee, Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday said that he had continued to “fight like a tiger” despite facing investigations in multiple cases, The Hindu reported.

Abhishek Banerjee has alleged before the Calcutta High Court that multiple “unreasonable complaints” have been filed against him since the Bharatiya Janata Party came to power in West Bengal after defeating the TMC in the Assembly election in May.

Mamata Banerjee’s comments came on the day Abhishek Banerjee gave his voice sample in a case pertaining to allegedly inflammatory statements made by him during the Assembly election campaign.

The remarks are being seen as the former chief minister’s strongest public endorsement of Abhishek Banerjee since the TMC was hit by a rebellion following the Assembly election. Abhishek Banerjee has faced criticism from within the party, with several leaders blaming him for the electoral loss.

Nearly 60 out of the TMC’s 80 MLAs have rebelled against the party leadership to choose Ritabrata Banerjee as the leader of the Opposition in the House.

The group has been recognised by the Assembly speaker as the party’s legislature party in the House, and Ritabrata Banerjee has been recognised as the leader of the Opposition.

In June, TMC leader Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar said that 20 of TMC’s Lok Sabha MPs will merge with...

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