Kolkata, 21 July (H.S.): Kalighat Trinamool Congress chairperson Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday launched a sharp attack on former party leaders who left the organisation, declaring that they would not be taken back into the party.

Addressing the party's July 21 Martyrs' Day rally in Kolkata, Banerjee said, All the thieves have left. We have been saved.

Alleging that central agencies such as the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) were being used to intimidate political opponents, she said, People can be silenced through fear, but only for a while.

Without naming individuals beyond referring to the Ritabrata camp, Banerjee described it as the B-team of the BJP and claimed that the group would soon disintegrate. Sending a message to those leaders, she said, Please forgive us, but we no longer need you. I wish you well in wealth, honour and life.

She also said the Trinamool Congress would move forward with a new generation of workers, whom she described as a gold mine for the party.

Banerjee thanked members of the families of the party's martyrs for attending the Kalighat Trinamool's July 21 programme despite what she described as attempts to dissuade or lure them away.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Priyanka Pandey