Trinamool Congress (TMC) senior leader Abhishek Banerjee publicly challenges party rebels who have moved away from Mamata Banerjee’s leadership to return. Speaking as the party faces a major internal organizational crisis, Banerjee says that if the individuals come back to Mamata, he would resign “within an hour.” Multiple outlets report that he accuses these leaders of having struck a deal with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and of switching sides. Banerjee also claims that people who left the TMC receive protection from central agencies after changing affiliations. He further notes that he himself has faced multiple summons, but says he never runs away from such processes. The comments come amid reports that several TMC MLAs and MPs have left Mamata and joined other parties, including the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and the TMC Ritabrata faction. These departures are presented across the coverage as a response to the leadership and organizational crisis within the TMC, with some blaming Banerjee for the situation.