Abhijit Mukherjee Joins TMC: CM Mamata Can Halt BJP's 'Communal Wave', Says Pranab Mukherjee's Son

The former Congress MP from Jangipur has been in talks with the TMC leadership for the past few weeks. Abhijit Mukherjee had also met Abhishek Banerjee in Kolkata last month.

ANI Photo

Kolkata: Former President Pranab Mukherjee's son Abhijit Mukherjee on Monday joined Trinamool Congress in Kolkata. State minister Partha Chatterjee and Sudip Banerjee welcomed the former Congress leader and felicitated him.

Abhijit Mukherjee is a two-time former MP from Jangipur and a former MLA from Nalhati in West Bengal.

Speaking at the press conference, Abhijit hinted that CM Mamata Banerjee could play a bigger role in national politics. 

"The way Mamata Banerjee halted the recent communal wave by BJP, I believe that in the future, with the support of others, she would be able to do the same in the entire country," he said after joining TMC.

Elaborating on the reason behind leaving Congress, Abhijit Mukherjee said: "I had not been included in any group or position of the Congress party, except primary membership. Therefore, I have joined TMC as a soldier and will work accordingly with the party's instructions. I will work to maintain integrity and secularism".

He further thanked the TMC supremo by saying, "The reason I joined the Congress party back in 2011 was because of Mamata Banerjee. She had helped us in the victory against CPIM in Nalhati".

The former Congress MP from Jangipur has been in talks with the TMC leadership for the past few weeks. Abhijit Mukherjee had also met Abhishek Banerjee in Kolkata last month.

Speculation about Abhijit Mukherjee leaving Congress started making rounds a month ago when Jitin Prasada left the party and joined the saffron team.

Abhijit Mukherjee is known to have good relations with Jitin Prasada, who joined the BJP a few weeks ago when they were colleagues in the Congress Parliamentary Party, and the Late President was also known to be fond of him and his father Jitendra Prasada.

Earlier, Mukherjee, an engineer-turned politician who won twice from Jangipur constituency, had said in a lighter vein: "I am nearly 300 km away from the Trinamool Bhavan right now, sitting in Jangipur House... so, unless someone can teleport me, it would be impossible for me to join any party this afternoon".

Mukherjee being inducted into the TMC comes after weeks of talks between him and the party; which impacted his relationship with Congress. Mukherjee's favourable relationship with Mamata is at odds with the Congress party's outlook, whose leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury has expressed severe dislike towards the West Bengal CM on innumerable occasions.

(With inputs from Manogya Loiwal)