Mamata Banerjee Holds Emergency Meeting Amid Party Crisis in West Bengal

Mamata Banerjee called a meeting of MLAs, MPs and other leaders at her residence in Kalighat to discuss issues including the break-up of the TMC in West Bengal, the election defeat. TMC leaders Abhishek Banerjee, Sovandeb Chatterjee, Firhad Hakim, who recently resigned from the post of Mayor of Kolkata Municipal Corporation, and other leaders reached Kalighat to attend the meeting. On Firhad Hakim resigning from the post of Mayor, TMC leader Madan Mitra said, "It is sad. He is an old friend of mine. He was not in a position to work. He was not allowed because there were obstacles from the BJP government." On the political rift in the party, he said, "These people (rebels) had won the election in the name of Mamata Banerjee. 23 million people had voted so if they have the courage, they should resign from their MP-MLA posts, leave the flag of Mamata Banerjee and TMC and win once again." TMC chief Mamata Banerjee said that after the first time in the party's 28-year history, she has started contacting more senior MLAs to stop the party from splitting.