'Will quit if ...': Abhishek challenges Shah to contest against him

NEW DELHI: Senior Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader Abhishek Banerjee has thrown down the gauntlet to Union home minister Amit Shah, daring him to contest against him from the

Diamond Harbour Lok Sabha constituency

.
In a bold move, Banerjee declared that if the BJP leader won, he would

retire from active politics

.
Speaking at an

election rally

in support of TMC's Mathurapur candidate

Bapi Halder

, Banerjee, often regarded as the number two in the TMC, outlined three options for Shah to fulfill if he wishes to see Banerjee exit the political arena.

"If you want Abhishek Banerjee to leave active politics, then I would like you to fulfil any of the three options I am providing you today," Banerjee said. "Release the state's due of Rs 1,64,000 crore, and I will retire within 24 hours. Alternatively, release the funds of the PM Awas Yojana. Or, the third option: you contest from here and defeat me. I will leave politics forever."

Banerjee's challenge comes in response to Shah's earlier statement in Memari, where he claimed that TMC supremo

Mamata Banerjee

desires him to be the next chief minister of West Bengal.
In a pointed rebuttal, Abhishek Banerjee dismissed Shah's aspirations for his son,

Jay Shah

, in cricket administration, emphasizing their divergent priorities. "You wish to make your son the BCCI president. Not all are like you," Banerjee said. "You have never been part of any agitation. You are a person who was jailed. We do not need to learn any moral values and ideology from you."
Banerjee underscored the TMC's commitment to serving the people's interests, contrasting it with Shah's alleged pursuit of self-interest in politics.
(With inputs from agencies)