I told Abhishek to skip Lok Sabha polls: Mamata Banerjee

Kolkata: Revealing her plan for   her nephew Abhishek Banerjee’s political career, Trinamul Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee disclosed on Monday that she did not want to field him as a candidate for the Lok Sabha election this time.

In a candid confession, the West Bengal chief minister said that she had wanted Abhishek to become a Rajya Sabha MP instead because “it was in her hands”, but he refused her offer.

Ms Banerjee also made it clear that the young Trinamul MP from Diamond Harbour, just for being her nephew, does not enjoy any privilege.

Her reservation against Abhishek contesting the Lok Sabha polls assumes signficance as the BJP has been training guns on him accusing him of corruption.

Campaigning for her nephew at Budge Budge in South 24 Parganas, Ms Banerjee told the crowd, “Abhishek is one of my many workers. He serves the Trinamul sincerely. He is in charge of Trinamul Youth Congress. Do not think that he gets any facility from me in exchange of that. He works hard and he loves Diamond Harbour.”

She elaborated, “Some men and women work as our star campaigners during the election. They include Firhad hakim, Aroop Biswas, Dipak Adhikary, alias Dev, Nusrat Jahan, Subrata Bakshi, Partha Chatterjee, Moloy Ghatak and Rajiv Banerjee. Being leaders, they travel to districts and work there.”

Sharing the information,  Ms Banerjee told the party workers, “I had told Abhishek: You do not need to contest the Lok Sabha election this time. I will later send you to the Rajya Sabha as it is in my hands. So you skip the Lok Sabha election because you have to travel entire Bengal like Bakshi and other ministers.”

The Trinamul chief added, “Do you know what he replied? He said: ‘I would not become a Rajya Sabha MP. I will remain in Diamond Harbour and would not leave it’.”

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