The Trinamool Congress (TMC) is battling an internal crisis — thanks to public and WhatsApp outbursts of its MPs against one another. What’s even more embarrassing for the party is the fact that the chats were “leaked” and are now in the public domain for the public to see.
At the centre of the storm is TMC’s Lok Sabha MP Kalyan Banerjee, who was first engaged in a quite “public” argument with a woman MP from the TMC itself outside Parliament. Later, he was involved in a nasty spat with fellow MP Kirti Azad over a WhatsApp group meant for TMC MPs.
Another TMC MP, Saugata Roy, called the incidents unfortunate and slammed Banerjee’s remarks against Azad as “third-class comments”.
Kalyan Banerjee Slams TMC Members
In a fiery press conference, the Srirampur MP expressed frustration over the recent incidents, indirectly accusing three party MPs of misconduct, betrayal, and damaging the party’s image.
Responding to the allegations, Banerjee said at a press meet on Tuesday: “Some of the MPs have no contribution to the party and only entered politics due to connections. Why should I tolerate this,” he questioned. Referring to a woman MP, he said she had abused him and targeted his family.
Although he didn’t name her, he hinted that she had entered politics through association with a senior Congress leader and had insulted him in Parliament.
Banerjee alleged that a video of his outburst was leaked by a TMC MP, who had defected from another party and is now working against the party’s interests. Earlier, he had accused Kirti Azad of “engaging in internal politics, for which the former India cricketer was thrown out of the BJP”.
Bitter Row Over Sweet Shop
Banerjee also slammed a purported move to set up a sweets counter in Parliament, allegedly owned by a private entity without the party’s approval. In this context, Banerjee didn’t pull punches as he slammed Kirti Azad, accusing him of lobbying MPs for signatures for the sweets shop proposal without consulting the party high command.
He claimed this led to resentment when he opposed the idea. “How can a private matter involve TMC’s symbol and MPs,” he questioned.
He further accused one MP of demanding his arrest and spreading lies about him using obscene language, which he denied. “I won’t tolerate this kind of behavior. Just because she is a beautiful woman or speaks fluent English, she doesn’t have the right to insult colleagues,” he stated.
Kalyan Banerjee Hits Back At Saugata Roy
Kalyan Banerjee also took aim at veteran MP Saugata Roy, who had earlier slammed him over the Parliament incident. “Saugata Roy himself has damaged the party’s image — be it the Narada scam or recently being caught smoking during a meeting,” Banerjee said.
He also said that the video of Saugata Roy, which showed the MP smoking on stage, had also hit the party’s image. He accused Roy of hypocrisy and long-standing bias, claiming he had never liked him since 2001 and had always supported rival factions.
“Saugata Roy was a follower of Priyaranjan Das Munshi (former Congress leader and Union minister). They don’t feel bad if someone abuses Mamata Banerjee,” he said.
‘Will Resign If Didi Asks’
Throughout the press conference, Banerjee made it clear that he is willing to step down if asked by party chief Mamata Banerjee. “This is not my livelihood. I’ll leave politics the moment Didi says so,” he declared. However, he warned that his absence in Parliament would be felt. “Let’s see how TMC performs without my voice in Parliament. Just shouting slogans doesn’t make an impact.”
