Mamata says no pardon for TMC defectors: Betraying party like abandoning mother

Kolkata,UPDATED: Jun 26, 2026 14:11 IST

Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee on Thursday delivered a scathing warning to defecting MLAs, MPs and councillors, comparing party betrayal to abandoning a mother in sickness.

Addressing a virtual meeting of the North Kolkata District Trinamool Congress, she sought to energise workers and cadres amid what she called a '"relentless barrage of oppression" by the BJP-led Centre.

Referring to leaders who have left the party, Banerjee said, "It is like a mother who raised you all your life; when she falls ill, you refuse to care for her. There is no pardon for traitors. They might save themselves today, but in the future, the people will demand an account from them, and so will the workers."

Opening her address with greetings to party workers, the former Chief Minister described the current political climate as one of fear and economic distress.

"It has been a relentless barrage of oppression, case after case. People are driven to suicide and gripped by fear; hawkers' stalls are being demolished. Many are losing their jobs and seeing their life's dreams shattered,” she said.

Banerjee asserted that only a united Trinamool could offer protection from the crisis. "And regarding this crisis -- a crisis created by the BJP, not us -- you know how our workers have fought, risking their lives and everything they have. From booth-level workers and BLOs to the grassroots cadresit is at the cost of their lives and sacrifices that today's victors have come to power."

The TMC chief launched her sharpest attack on leaders who switched sides, accusing them of abandoning the party out of fear for legal cases and family assets.

"Yet, some switch sides merely to save themselves and their families. They lack patience; they abandon us to join the very people we fought against. It would have been better if they had simply left and joined the BJP -- we would have had no problem with that. But to betray the party is unforgivable."

Questioning the defectors' claim of 'saving workers,' she said: "Some claim they left to ‘save’ the workers, yet they cannot even enter their own areas. Are they saving the workers, or are they saving their own money? Are they bringing back your money? No, they have sold out everything: religion, communal harmony, and values, and now they are strutting about arrogantly."

Banerjee warned that deserters would be politically isolated: "To those who still possess good sense, I say: come back. And let me make it clear to anyone thinking they can escape this situation: you will end up belonging nowhere -- neither here nor there."

The former Chief Minister repeatedly emphasised the role of grassroots workers in building the party.

"I believe that workers create leaders, just as leaders create workers. I meet with our workers every day, and they stand firmly with us."

She accused defectors of exploiting the party for personal gain after benefiting from workers' sacrifices.

"We have endured so much bloodshed and struggle. Those who did not stand by us during the hard times had they not defected, the BJP would not have dared to unleash such oppression on our workers."

Banerjee also trained her guns on law enforcement and the media.

"I have seen the police up close before, but this version of the police force is completely alien to me -- unfamiliar and unrecognisable. Is it the police's job to stand there and tell everyone, ‘Come, I’ve brought a vehicle; get in and go to that devil’? The police's duty is to ensure peace and order yet, what is happening now is entirely unlawful."

She alleged that permissions for meetings and processions were being denied and that digital voices were being silenced.

"Many people using digital platforms -- YouTube, Facebook, social networks, or Instagram -- have been arrested. What? Can't one speak against them? Does the BJP mean ‘One Party, One Nation’? We cannot accept that."

Banerjee drew parallels with her own family, stating that she had parted ways with two brothers over betrayal but that nephew Abhishek Banerjee's family stood with her.

She noted that Abhishek faces repeated summons from the CID, ED and CBI.

"Even when I go to the airport, they seem to know about it -- how? If they refuse, I will go straight to the airport."

She concluded with a call for unity ahead of TMC's annual Martyrs' Day rally on July 21.

"Organising it involves immense effort and struggle, but even if only five workers attend, we will hold that meeting. We have never taken a single penny from anyone. So, on the day following the 21st of July -- Martyrs' Day -- let everyone come together and unite."

Banerjee also touched on the BJP's observance of "Constitution Murder Day" in reference to the Emergency, asking: "But what about the Constitution now? Is there any rule of law? They act however they please -- intimidating and threatening people with the police In this situation, I believe only you can unite."

The speech comes amid continued defections from TMC to BJP and multiple central agency probes against party leaders, setting the tone for a confrontational build-up to the Martyrs' Day event.

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