Even PM doesn't have guts to take my name: Mamata's nephew Abhishek Banerjee dares BJP

On Sunday evening, Trinamool MP and West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee's nephew Abhishek Banerjee on Sunday said that no BJP leader, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has the guts to take his name.

In a show of his clout and strength, Banerjee while addressing his first election rally said that BJP uses innuendos like 'bhaipo' or 'bhatija' (nephew) to level charges against him but cannot use his name. The Trinamool Youth Congress chief's nephew claimed he has taken these leaders to the court whenever he was targeted.

"When they target me, the BJP, Congress and CPI(M) everyone uses 'bhaipo', but they cannot take the name, they cannot take the name of Abhishek Bandopadhyay. Even the Prime Minister does not have the guts to do so, nor do the other leaders of the BJP," the two-time Diamond Harbour MP said. To buttress his point, Abhishek Banerjee claimed that the Prime Minister had said 'bhatija ki batti gul hone wala hai' (nephew is set to lose) during a BJP rally in Diamond Harbour before the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.

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Banerjee had sent a defamation notice to PM Modi after his Diamond Harbour rally in May last year. He also said after leaving the TMC in 2017, Mukul Roy had made false accusations against him at a public meeting. "I had taken him to the high court and he was defeated in the legal battle. BJP leaders like Dilip Ghosh, Rahul Sinha, Babul Supriyo, Kailash Vijayvargiya and even Amit Shah and Narendra Modi had on various occasions made accusations taking my name. I had taken legal action against them and given appropriate responses to them in court. That is why they are not taking the name directly and are saying 'bhaipo'. I request them to take my name if they have the guts," he said.

Moreover, he challenged BJP to take action against him saying, "Here I am taking the name of Kailash Vijayvargiya when I say he is an outsider, that Dilip Ghosh is a goonda, mafia, I am taking the name of Amit Shah to say that he is an outsider."

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Suvendu Adhikari resigns from Mamata's cabinet

In a big jolt to Mamata Banerjee and her party Trinamool Congress on Friday, Transport Minister Suvendu Adhikari resigned from the cabinet post and sources have said that he may resign from the party soon. Adhikari on Thursday had also resigned as Hooghly River Bridge Commission chairman. Moreover, senior leader and Coochbehar Dakshin MLA Mihir Goswami quit the party joined the BJP. Leaders are reportedly disappointed by the growing clout of Mamata's nephew Abhishek Banerjee in the party and presence of poll strategist Prashant Kishor. 

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