Kolkata, July 16 (IANS) Former West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday asked potential fence-sitters in her Trinamool Congress faction to quit before July 21 if they plan to join the rebel camp led by expelled leader Ritabrata Banerjee.

Her Facebook Live message came soon after former Trinamool Congress legislator from Rajarhat-Newtown constituency in North 24 Parganas, Tapas Chatterjee, gave hints earlier in the day about his decision to quit the Mamata Banerjee-led faction and join the Ritabrata-led faction.

In her Facebook live message, Mamata Banerjee also clarified why she was asking the potential fence-sitters to quit and shift before July 21. According to her, on that day, she and her followers will be arranging a Martyrs’ Day rally as Trinamool Congress had been doing since its inception in January 1998, and on that rally, she would again start from scratch as she did in 1997 when she broke away from Congress and started the process of establishing Trinamool Congress.

She said she respectfully requests those who have to quit and shift under pressure from the BJP, the police, the ED, the CBI, and other agencies to make a decision on this count and act before July 21.

She urged them not to taint the party they have created by staying inside, adding that they can leave the party and that their decision to quit and shift will not weaken them.

The former Chief Minister said that the new journey for her and her dedicated followers will begin on July 21. She said she does not care who stays with her, adding that those who stay with her after July 21 will be real assets to them.

She said she has heard that even the family members of the martyrs are being threatened to join the parallel Martyrs’ Day programme organised by the rebel faction this time. She added that they might go there, but only their souls would be with them.

This time, the Mamata Banerjee-led faction will not be able to organise the Martyrs’ Day rally on July 21 at the traditional venue in front of the CESC House near Esplanade in Central Kolkata. Rather, she will have to organise that rally in front of Birla Planetarium in central Kolkata, as per the direction of the Calcutta High Court.

On the other hand, the Ritabrata-led faction will organise a counter-rally on the same occasion at Jawaharlal Nehru Road, also in central Kolkata, on the same day.

–IANS

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