NEW DELHI: TMC MP Kalyan Banerjee was heckled with chants of “Chor Chor” and “Jai Shri Ram” at Kolkata airport on Tuesday amid the escalating political turmoil within the Trinamool Congress.As Banerjee stopped to speak with reporters after exiting the airport, he confronted the protesters and hit back at the BJP. The TMC leader alleged that BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari was the real thief and went on to accuse Adhikari’s father of the same. The confrontation comes as the Trinamool Congress faces what could become the biggest internal crisis in its 28-year history.Weeks after a bruising defeat in the West Bengal Assembly elections, the party is now grappling with a major rebellion that threatens its influence in the state and could potentially strengthen the BJP-led NDA’s position in Parliament.The TMC is reportedly witnessing a second wave of defections, with at least 20 MPs said to have submitted a letter to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla expressing support for the NDA. If the claims are accurate, the rebel faction would comfortably cross the two-thirds threshold required to avoid disqualification under the anti-defection law.Addressing a press conference earlier, Banerjee dismissed the dissidents as “traitors” and challenged them to resign from the party and seek a fresh mandate from voters. He claimed the rebels had exposed themselves by meeting senior BJP leader Bhupender Yadav and accused them of abandoning party workers while continuing to enjoy the benefits of office.Banerjee also argued that the rebel camp does not yet have the numbers required to safely navigate the anti-defection law. Calling them “gaddars”, he accused the dissidents of being driven by a hunger for power.In a sharp attack on the BJP, Banerjee said, “You have the CM, ED, CBI and other powers, but I have ‘Maa, Maati, Maanush’, my party, my party workers, and the people of West Bengal.”
