"If the party gives me any responsibility for 2024..." Abhishek Banerjee vows for an united TMC fight against BJP amidst speculations of internal rift

Trinamool Congress National General Secretary Abhishek Banerjee on Sunday has rubbished rumors of internal rift within the party but, surprisingly, one who is the second in command and in-charge of the party, has stressed that he will follow the “command of the party as and when given”. His remarks have triggered more speculations of a growing split between Trinamool Chairperson Mamata Banerjee and him. “If the party gives me any responsibility for 2024 Lok Sabha elections then I will perform it to the tee…”, said the MP from Diamond Harbour who off late has been silent both on social media and in public space. While his last public appearance has been the INDIA bloc alliance meeting in Delhi on December 19, he was also briefly seen alongside Mamata Banerjee after the Chief Minister met with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on December 20 along with a TMC delegation. That apart in over two months he had made less than ten social media posts relevant to the politics, unlike of him as the general secretary of a party that had defeated BJP in 2021 Bengal assembly elections and vows to be effective in taking on the might of PM Modi in 2024 General elections.

It all started with his remarks on age limit in politics, something that opposition had construed as Abhishek’s direct message for his aunt and party supremo. On Sunday, Banerjee reiterated the same position. “There is no dispute here. Yes I have said that with age ability to work gets reduced. I was out out on streets for more than two months during ‘Nabo Jowar’ program. I was 36 years old then. Will I be able to do the same when I am 56 or 70? I won’t be able to. This is the truth and you have to accept it. But that doesn’t mean Abhishek Banerjee won’t work for the party. Mamata Banerjee’s colleagues and other party workers are there with her, she is running the party. The new blood is also with her. Whatever the party wants me to do, I will do as a loyal soldier” said Abhishek Banerjee during an aid distribution event in his own Diamond Harbour constituency.

Mamata Banerjee became the third time chief minister in 2021, an election that saw a fierce face-off between TMC and BJP, where Abhishek Banerjee, according to political observers had been an equal contributor. In December 2022, a similar situation had emerged where Abhishek Banerjee had gone silent and speculation had become loud about a difference between the old guard and the new blood in the party.

Sources have confirmed News The Truth that Abhishek Banerjee has not been involved in seat sharing methodology or deliberations pertaining to INDIA alliance for the state of Bengal and even outside. During his speech on Sunday, Banerjee stressed that he may stay more occupied with his own constituency Diamond Harbour in the upcoming Lok Sabha Elections. “As far as 2024 is concerned, as a candidate and MP I will have to focus on my constituency. My identity is because of the people of Diamond Harbour, I am the elected MP from here. TMC will fight the 2024 battle as a united force. My priority will be Diamond Harbour since I am the MP from here. But that doesn’t mean I will not go to other places. As and when the party asks me to go other places, I will with TMC flag and the picture of Mamata Banerjee. Don’t try to find any rift in TMC”, the young leader added.