Trinamool MP Kalyan Banerjee has hit out at an unnamed female party colleague – whom he labelled “rude” and “uncivilised” – amid apparent rifts within Bengal’s ruling Trinamool, something Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee can ill afford before next year’s high-stakes election.
Mr Banerjee also slammed senior Trinamool leader Saugata Roy. He referred to news magazine Tehelka’s ‘Narada sting op’ – in which politicians and police allegedly took cash bribes to favours a certain company – to claim it was Mr Roy and not he who had “tarnished” the party’s image”.
The pushback followed a row that began last week – between Mr Banerjee and other Trinamool MPs, including ex-India cricketer Kirti Azad – over a memorandum to the Election Commission.
Mr Banerjee has claimed the woman MP confronted him over her name being excluded from the list of MPs who presented the memorandum to the poll body; this was on April 4.
“She shouted and I responded… Then she ran to the BSF (Border Security Force) and asked them to arrest me! I have been in politics for 40 years… fought against CPM, Congress, and BJP. You know me… but this lady has no issue except with (Prime Minister Narendra) Modi… she never challenges any other BJP leader, even from Bengal. How dare she ask for my arrest?”
“If didi (Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee) says I am wrong (in his comments) I shall quit politics forever. But I will not tolerate that rude female MP who pressures me to give her more time (to speak in Parliament). What is this? I can take pressure from anyone but I cannot take from that MP… for saying I have to allot her more minutes,” he declared.
The spat was captured on camera and clips were shared on X by the BJP’s Amit Malviya.
In one of the videos an irate Mr Banerjee can be heard declaring that he does not owe his party post either to a ‘quota’ or because he joined from a rival political outfit. The remark has been seen as referring to the woman MP and Mr Azad, who joined from the BJP in 2023.
On the leak of the videos, Mr Banerjee said he had “no problem” and explained, “The day we were supposed to got to the Election Commission office, Derek O’Brien (the Trinamool’s leader in the Rajya Sabha) sent me a text saying 27 MPs would sign the memorandum.”
“Then I got a text saying all MP’s will have to reach our office (in the Parliament building) by 9:30 am. Next morning, as I reached the EC office, a female MP questioned me because her name was not on the list. Then she shouted… that her name had been deliberately removed.”
Mr Banerjee stressed he had not been told about who will, or will not, be in the delegation.
Apart from posting the videos of Mr Banerjee, Mr Malviya has also posted private chats from a WhatsApp group of Trinamool MPs, in which Mr Azad says Mr Banerjee has had too much to drink and the latter rants about “the beautiful activities of versatile international lady”.
Meanwhile, on Sougata Roy saying the BJP publishing confidential WhatsApp chats between party MPs is a matter of “shame”, Mr Banerjee lashed out, “Does Sougata Roy have a character? His nature is to disturb all… he has not liked me since 2001… (he) was caught taking cash!”
Trinamool MP Kalyan Banerjee has accused a female party colleague of demanding his arrest, as rifts within Bengal’s ruling Trinamool – something Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee before next year’s high-stakes Assembly election – became public.
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