Trinamool Congress MP Kalyan Banerjee on Thursday criticized Abhishek Banerjee, claiming that Mamata Banerjee’s nephew had replaced him as counsel at the last minute in the signature forgery case and related CID search operation. He described the move as humiliating and issued an ultimatum to the party chief, saying she must choose between him and Abhishek.
The Calcutta High Court granted Abhishek interim protection from arrest in the forgery case and directed him to appear before the West Bengal CID by 6 pm. Kalyan Banerjee later stated he was removed as lawyer shortly before the hearing and called the decision disrespectful. He said he remains loyal to Mamata Banerjee but demanded clarity on his position.
Kalyan Banerjee noted he had been present during the CID raids on residences linked to the forgery allegations and had questioned the presence of certain witnesses. He had filed a petition challenging the search operations but was informed that another advocate, Kishore Datta, would handle the matter. He added that his son received the call about the change late on Wednesday night.
He said he would no longer represent Abhishek in the linked cases and urged Mamata Banerjee to decide between retaining him or her nephew.
