Abhishek Banerjee Promises to Quit TMC if Rebels Agree to Return to Mamata, Calcutta HC Halts Demolition of his Office

By Samira Vishwas On Jul 20, 2026

Rohit Kumar

NEW DELHI, July 19: The Trinamool Congress (TMC) general secretary Abhishek Banerjee has promised to resign his post “within an hour” if the party’s rebel leaders who left the party blaming him for the party’s debacle, agreed to return and re-join “didi” as they had been claiming earlier.

“Those who left the party and are now abusing or blaming me today…I challenge them to return to Didi (as former Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is referred to). If they do, I will resign from the party within an hour. But they won’t.

“They have made a deal with the BJP: leave the party, join the rebel camp or the BJP, take protection from the ED, the CBI and other agencies and then blame and abuse Abhishek Banerjee,” Mr Banerjee said while addressing the press outside former Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s residence in Kalighat.

Most of the former TMC leaders while quitting the party in the wake of the party’s rout in the state Assembly elections in May, had then claimed that they regarded Mamata Banerjee as their leader, but could not continue in a party where Abhishek Banerjee continued to wield power and was “humiliating them,” while some of them have already joined the BJP.

The Diamond Harbor MP said those who believed they could burn down the Trinamool Congress must remember that the party would rebuild from the same fire with Sister leading the way.

Since the party’s defeat in the 2026 West Bengal Assembly election on May 4, several top Trinamool leaders have openly criticized Mr Banerjee, accusing him of “corporatising” the party and relying excessively on political consulting firm I-PAC.

Meanwhile, the Calcutta High Court on Sunday ordered status quo on the demolition of Mr Banerjee’s Diamond Harbor constituency office at Amtala in South 24 Parganas district. Justice Raja Basu Chowdhury, holding a special sitting of the court on Sunday directed the State government to submit all documents regarding the Amtala building, which ‘Leaps and Bounds’ Company reportedly owns.

Trinamool Congress leader Abhishek Banerjee is the CEO of ‘Leaps and Bounds’, according to the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in connection with a different matter. Directing that status quo be maintained on the demolition of the building on Diamond Harbor Road till the end of July, the court said the matter will be heard again before a regular Bench.

‘Leaps and Bounds’ challenged the demolition of the building before the High Court. The South 24 Parganas district administration began demolishing the TMC MP’s party office at Amtala on Saturday after finding it was allegedly constructed without an approved building plan and in violation of applicable rules, according to a senior official.

Stating that the building was his constituency office, the Diamond Harbor MP claimed on Saturday that his Amtala office was built legally on purchased land and after obtaining requisite permissions.

“I am of the view that the status quo as regards the nature, character and possession should be maintained till the matter is taken up next or until the end of July 2026, whichever is earlier,” the court said. “I am of the view that the respondents should desist all further demolition work pursuant to the order passed by the DM/ executive officer, South 24 Parganas dated July 15, 2026.”

However, the Diamond Harbor Lok Sabha member criticized the bulldozer action and said it was a part of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party’s ways to “display political power.” He also alleged that BJP supporters entered his office while carrying saffron flags during demolition drive, but asserted that he has complete faith in the judicial system.

“If I remain alive and justice prevails, the very same provisions of law that are being misused against us today will one day be applied to those responsible for these actions,” Abhishek said. “We have complete faith in the judiciary and will approach the Calcutta High Court. If necessary, we will go all the way to the Supreme Court to ensure that everyone seen in the videos is brought to justice.”