In major reshuffle for TMC, Abhishek Banerjee given charge as Lok Sabha leader, Kakali replaces Kalyan as new Chief Whip
The announcement came during a virtual meeting of TMC MPs, who gathered at the party's new office on Rajendra Prasad Road in New Delhi. According to sources, Mamata Banerjee expressed her unhappiness over the party's recent coordination in Parliament and performance in the Lok Sabha.
'She said Abhishek Banerjee will lead the party in the Lok Sabha until Sudip Bandyopadhyay becomes fully fit. Kakali Ghosh Dastidar will oversee daily coordination,' said a senior MP present at the meeting. Bandyopadhyay, who is 76, had not been attending Parliament regularly in recent times.
Mamata also referred to recent controversies involving Mahua Moitra, Kalyan Banerjee, and Kirti Azad. She indicated that in the absence of senior leaders Sudip Bandyopadhyay and Sougata Roy, Kalyan Banerjee had been entrusted with coordinating parliamentary affairs — a responsibility she believes he failed to discharge effectively.
After the meeting, Kalyan Banerjee denied being removed, telling his close circle that he had resigned. A senior TMC MP said, 'Abhishek Banerjee had talked to Kalyan Banerjee and requested him to hold off on the decision.'
Kalyan Banerjee told mediapersons, 'Abhishek Banerjee talked to me 10 minutes earlier.' He added, 'What will I do if the majority of MPs are regularly absent in Parliament? Does Mamata Banerjee know how the daily work of Parliament is going? If the party would not have taken steps, what would I do? I did maximum work but I am not a scholar from Oxford, Cambridge. I do not wear expensive sarees. Those who criticise Mamata Banerjee, they get rewarded.'
At the meeting, Mamata Banerjee also instructed MPs to raise their voice against alleged harassment of Bengalis in BJP-ruled states and to oppose the Election Commission's Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process. She also advised MPs to actively participate in INDIA bloc meetings.
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