New Delhi: One day after the opposition INDIA bloc assembly, Trinamool Congress chief and former West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee convened with Congress Parliamentary Party chairperson Sonia Gandhi at Gandhi's residence on Tuesday.

Both Gandhi and Banerjee had participated in the gathering of the alliance's leadership on Monday.

In a social media statement published on X, the Trinamool Congress highlighted the close relationship between the two political figures.

"The smiles said what words could not...a bond strengthened through decades of dedicated service to the nation. Our Hon'ble Chairperson with Sonia Gandhi Ji, today in Delhi."

The high-profile dialogue transpired the same day a Criminal Investigation Department (CID) unit arrived at Banerjee’s private home in Kolkata as part of an ongoing inquiry into an alleged signature forgery scandal.

Banerjee has been grappling with internal party discord since the Trinamool Congress was defeated in the West Bengal assembly elections.

Her choice for the Leader of the Opposition post was openly rejected by a significant faction of party lawmakers, who have since been officially acknowledged as the opposition bloc within the state assembly. The party's difficulties escalated further due to friction among its federal lawmakers, with a faction claiming the backing of 20 Lok Sabha members seeking to establish an independent parliamentary group.

Last week, a CID unit visited the residence of Trinamool Congress leader Abhishek Banerjee in connection with the same signature forgery investigation.

The state CID has formed a five-member Special Investigation Team (SIT) to examine the purported fabrication of Trinamool Congress lawmakers' signatures. Authorities stated that Abhishek Banerjee has been instructed to produce the original copy of the party resolution that was submitted to the West Bengal Assembly Speaker regarding the designation of party officials.

Trinamool Congress sources indicated that Abhishek Banerjee answered the law enforcement agency by routing a formal letter through his attorney. Police sources noted that the SIT is being led by a Deputy Inspector General (DIG) of the West Bengal Police to guarantee a comprehensive probe into the controversy.

The state CID has already documented the testimonies of 13 Trinamool Congress legislators during its investigation.

Officials reported that three of those lawmakers asserted they did not pen the signatures found in the May 6 Meeting Resolution Book. According to authorities, the legislator representing Canning Purba stated he was not in attendance at the Kolkata meeting.

The CID subsequently directed Abhishek Banerjee to present himself before the lead investigator alongside the original meeting resolution ledger. Abhishek Banerjee had informed the Speaker on May 9 that the organisation finalised the appointment of its office-bearers during a session of the All India Trinamool Congress legislative party.

Following that assertion, the Principal Secretary of the West Bengal Legislative Assembly issued a written request to Abhishek Banerjee on May 18, demanding the submission of the official minutes and resolutions from the assembly, alongside the physical signatures of the lawmakers who participated in the decision.

On May 20, Abhishek Banerjee delivered a duplicate of the meeting resolution log accompanied by an attendance roster bearing the names of the attendees. The document asserted that 70 legislators were present at the May 6 gathering.

However, on May 27, two Trinamool Congress lawmakers submitted a formal grievance to the Speaker, claiming that no official resolution regarding the selection of the Leader of the Opposition had been voted on during the May 6 meeting. The complainants alleged they did not sign the resolution book until May 19.

The two legislators further contended that the document dated May 6 was "manufactured and fabricated," pointing out that as many as 14 of the signatures were written out in block lettering.

The Trinamool Congress subsequently placed both complaining lawmakers—Ritabrata Banerjee and Sandipan Saha—under suspension for engaging in anti-party activities. Following a formal complaint lodged by the Assembly's Principal Secretary, the Hare Street Police Station initiated a criminal case on May 27 under several sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) encompassing cheating, forgery, and criminal conspiracy. The CID assumed control of the investigation on May 28.

With inputs from ANI