"Choose between me and Abhishek Banerjee," Trinamool Congress MP and senior advocate Kalyan Banerjee said he told party supremo Mamata Banerjee after withdrawing from a Calcutta High Court case involving the party's national general secretary and MP Abhishek Banerjee.
Speaking to PTI, the senior advocate said he decided to step aside after learning that a separate writ petition related to CID searches had been filed without his knowledge, despite his handling of the matter and securing an urgent hearing before the court.
According to Kalyan Banerjee, the case was first listed before a vacation bench on Friday but was not taken up. He then mentioned the matter before Justice Kausik Chanda, who agreed to hear it on Wednesday following searches at Abhishek Banerjee's residence and the Trinamool Congress office.
However, shortly before the hearing, he was informed that another petition concerning the searches had already been filed and that a senior counsel would appear in the matter.
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"I asked, 'If you had already filed this matter, why didn't you discuss it with us?'" he said, alleging a complete lack of communication.
The veteran parliamentarian said he had spent the night preparing the case and remained actively involved in the legal strategy, only to discover that another legal route had been pursued without consulting him.
He also launched a personal attack on Abhishek Banerjee, accusing him of arrogance and failing to show respect to senior colleagues.
"He thinks everyone is beneath him, as if everyone is merely an employee from Camac Street. I have been in this profession for 45 years. Leave aside this court, even in the Supreme Court people know me. But he has become so arrogant and does not respect anyone," Kalyan Banerjee said.
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The comments come amid a politically sensitive CID investigation into allegations that signatures of certain Trinamool Congress MLAs were forged on documents linked to the appointment of the Leader of Opposition in the West Bengal Assembly.
Earlier on Thursday, the Calcutta High Court granted Abhishek Banerjee interim protection from coercive action for three weeks while directing him to appear before the CID for questioning in the case.
