A day after opposition parties resolved to strengthen coordination within the INDIA bloc, Trinamool Congress (TMC) chief Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday met senior Congress leader Sonia Gandhi in Delhi, signalling efforts to maintain opposition unity even as political turbulence continued to engulf the ruling party in West Bengal.The meeting at Sonia’s 10, Janpath, residence came against the backdrop of an internal revolt in the TMC and coincided with a dramatic development in Kolkata, where a team of the West Bengal CID reached the premises linked to Mamata in connection with allegations of forged signatures of party MLAs.Sources said the two leaders discussed the political situation following Monday’s INDIA bloc meeting and explored ways to strengthen coordination between the Congress and the TMC in the months ahead. The meeting also assumes significance as the TMC grapples with defections and organisational challenges after its recent electoral setback in West Bengal. Mamata and Sonia had shared a warm exchange during the INDIA bloc meeting on Monday, with photographs released by the Congress showing the two leaders embracing each other.The Delhi meeting took place as the TMC faced a fresh challenge back home. A CID team reached 30B, Harish Chatterjee Street, the address associated with Mamata and the TMC headquarters, seeking to conduct a search in connection with the allegations relating to the forged signatures of party legislators.According to officials, the premises were being treated as a party office and therefore required examination as part of the ongoing investigation. After a brief standoff with party functionaries, the CID team entered the premises. The development triggered an immediate political reaction from the TMC leadership, which alleged that the timing of the action was deliberate.TMC Rajya Sabha MP Derek O’Brien questioned the move, pointing out that the CID action unfolded at the same time Mamata was meeting Sonia in the national capital. “Political vendetta shamelessly timed,” O’Brien said in a social media post, alleging that the authorities were attempting to target a political rival while opposition leaders were engaged in discussions on future strategy.“Exactly at the same time as AITC official chairperson Mamata was having a meeting today in Delhi with Sonia, the CID was forcibly trying to enter the AITC party HQ adjoining her residence in Kolkata. First loot vote, now loot files of a political rival. Democracy? Main entrance overloaded with the CRPF,” he said.The fissures in the TMC further widened on Tuesday after Lok Sabha MP Kalyan Banerjee called the rebel group “traitors”. He accused them, especially the leader of the dissent group — Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar — of being “hungry for power”.Addressing a press conference in New Delhi, Kalyan, along with party leader Kirti Azad, said, “These leaders who have rebelled today once upon a time heaped praises on Mamata. They want power at any cost. They remained with Mamata when she was the Chief Minister and now wish to remain close to the present ruling establishment. Their politics revolves around power, not ideology.”He warned them against underestimating “Mamata Didi”, describing her as a “fighter” who has repeatedly overcome political challenges and asserting that she will stage a strong comeback. Kalyan also launched a sharp attack on the BJP.Meanwhile, amid the split in the TMC, rebel MPs June Maliah and Deepak Adhikari attended West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari’s administrative meeting in Purba Medinipur district. Besides the MPs, Keshpur MLA Siuli Saha also attended the meeting at Kolaghat. Saha is among the 58 dissident MLAs backed by Ritabrata Banerjee.