New Delhi: The Trinamool Congress (TMC) on Tuesday announced that it’s Lok Sabha MP and national general secretary Abhishek Bannerjee will join the multi-party delegation to foreign capitals, a day after it withdrew Yusuf Pathan from the group.
According to a TMC functionary, Union parliamentary affairs minister Kiren Rijiju called West Bengal chief minister and party chairperson Mamata Banerjee to “seek her suggestion for a representative from TMC”.
Mamata Banerjee recommended Abhishek Banerjee’s name to Rijiju during the telephone call, the functionary added.
The development is a big political victory for the TMC as it has maintained that only the party chief can nominate lawmakers, and also underlines the Narendra Modi government’s effort to include all major parties for this important issue.
Abhishek Banerjee replacing Yusuf Pathan, a first time MP, also adds political weight to the TMC’s representation. For all practical purposes, Abhishek Banerjee is the second-in-command in the party, and the international exposure can further add to his leadership credentials.
Abhishek Banerjee, who attended the meeting of the external affairs committee on Monday, had told reporters after the meeting, “When it comes to fighting terror and protecting national interest, TMC will stand shoulder to shoulder with the Union government. But the Centre can’t decide unilaterally who will go from which party. We should also send family members of the victims of terror, we should also send army officers.”
“This is not the time to play politics. TMC will send members if the government asks,” he had added.
Former Indian cricketer Pathan was named in the delegation which was headed by Janata Dal (United) leader Sanjay Jha and going to Indonesia, Malaysia, Republic of Korea, Japan and Singapore. But his inclusion came under a cloud on Monday.
The government had first contacted TMC’s Lok Sabha leader Sudip Bandopadhyay, then its Rajya sabha leader Derek O’Brien before it announced Pathan’s name. According to two leaders of the TMC, the party objected to the way the government directly nominated a TMC MP without consulting the party.
During the Atal Bihari Vajpayee regime, TMC’s Lok Sabha MP Sudip Bandopadhyay was invited directly by the PM to take oath as a minister of state. An upset Mamata Banerjee wrote to Vajpayee and ultimately Bandopadhyay was not inducted in the Union council of ministers.
Pathan is a first time MP from Baharampur. He defeated Congress heavyweight Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.