Days after issuing an ultimatum to Mamata Banerjee over Abhishek’s role in the party, Kalyan struck a conciliatory tone, signalling unity amid a widening organisational crisis.
BY PC Bureau
June 13, 2026: In a softening of his stance amid the Trinamool Congress’s deepening internal crisis, senior party leader and MP Kalyan Banerjee on Saturday indicated a willingness to reconcile with TMC national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee, even as he launched a blistering attack on a rebel faction of MPs threatening to destabilise the party.
Speaking to CNN-News18, Kalyan Banerjee reiterated that his loyalty remained firmly with Chief Minister and TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee, stressing that the party’s larger battle was against the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA).
“I will be with Mamata Banerjee. Now we have to fight against the NDA,” he said.
In a notable departure from his recent criticism of Abhishek Banerjee, whom he had accused of arrogance and of weakening the party’s organisational structure, Kalyan struck a conciliatory note.
“I have seen Abhishek grow up. He has said that I can tell him things, so it’s okay. We have our differences, but the fight now is against the NDA,” he said.
His remarks came shortly after Abhishek himself sought to lower the political temperature, saying he would not retaliate against the veteran MP’s criticism.
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“Kalyan Banerjee is older than me. He has the right to express his views. He has seen me from childhood. I won’t speak anything against him,” Abhishek said.
The exchange suggests an attempt by the party’s two influential leaders to close ranks at a time when the Trinamool Congress is facing one of its most serious internal challenges in recent years.
Only days earlier, Kalyan Banerjee had openly questioned Abhishek’s leadership style, accusing him of sidelining senior leaders and undermining the party’s traditional structure. He had even declared that Mamata Banerjee would have to choose between him and her nephew, a remark that fuelled speculation of a widening power struggle within the ruling party.
However, Kalyan reserved his strongest criticism for a group of dissident MPs led by Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar, who have reportedly formed a separate bloc and claimed that nearly 20 Trinamool parliamentarians could shift allegiance to the NDA.
Dismissing the rebels as “opportunists”, the veteran MP questioned their commitment to the constituencies they represent.
“These people who are forming a bloc, have they ever gone to their constituencies? Why is Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar not going to her constituency?” he asked.
“All of them are opportunists. We will fight with the people we have,” he added.
Kalyan Banerjee also criticised what he described as the use of investigative and law enforcement agencies to target opposition leaders, alleging that the BJP-led establishment was attempting to weaken regional parties through coercive means.
His comments come at a politically sensitive moment for the Trinamool Congress, with internal divisions spilling into the public domain and raising questions over the party’s cohesion ahead of future electoral battles.
Even as fault lines remain visible, Saturday’s remarks hinted at a possible de-escalation in the standoff between Kalyan and Abhishek Banerjee. Whether that truce holds, however, may depend on how Mamata Banerjee navigates competing power centres within a party she has led for more than two decades.
