Crisis brewing in Mamata's party? TMC leaders wash dirty linen in public

TMC MP Sougata Roy has demanded the removal of Kalyan Banerjee as chief whip in Lok Sabha, following a spat with Mahua Moitra. The fallout has exposed deepening rifts within the party

The internal rift within the Trinamool Congress (TMC) has come to the fore again after senior party leader and Lok Sabha MP from Dum Dum, Sougata Roy alleged that fellow MP Mahua Moitra was seen crying following a heated argument with TMC’s chief whip in Lok Sabha, Kalyan Banerjee. Roy has now demanded Kalyan Banerjee’s removal from the chief whip position, citing his history of “uncivilised behaviour”.

 

The controversy comes days after BJP IT cell head Amit Malviya shared a video that purportedly shows a verbal spat between Mahua Moitra and Kalyan Banerjee outside the Election Commission (EC) office. Alongside, Malviya also posted screenshots of an alleged WhatsApp group chat where Kalyan Banerjee is seen clashing with another TMC MP, Kirti Azad. These posts quickly went viral, drawing fresh attention to infighting within the TMC.

 

 

‘Mahua was crying, complained to MPs from other parties’ 

Speaking to the media in Kolkata on Tuesday, Sougata Roy said, “I was not there when this altercation between Kalyan Banerjee and Mahua Moitra took place. I was at Vijay Chowk and the spat took place in front of the Election Commission office. I saw Mahua crying and complaining to several MPs, including other parties also, about Kalyan’s behaviour. Whatever happened is unfortunate.”

 

Roy further said that Moitra did not directly speak to him about the incident but confided in another MP, saying that Banerjee had behaved in an “uncivilised manner”.

 

“His uncivilised behaviour had been in our focus several times. He called (Union Minister) Jyotiraditya Scindia ‘lady killer’ and later apologised to him. During the JPC meeting on Waqf, he broke a bottle and threw it at the chairman of the panel. Kalyan is known for his intemperate and uncivilised behaviour,” Sougata Roy said.

 

On Tuesday, Roy said he was compelled to speak out after learning that Banerjee had allegedly made remarks against him. “I feel it is beneath my dignity to reply to whatever Kalyan Banerjee may have said... I heard from you that he has said things against me and that’s why I have replied.”

 

‘Kalyan not fit to be chief whip’ 

Roy strongly suggested that Kalyan Banerjee should be removed from his position as the chief whip of the TMC in Lok Sabha, but left the final decision to party supremo Mamata Banerjee.

 

“That Kalyan is not fit to be on the post is apparent to me. I have not said it so far, but because of his behaviour and his incorrect English. But now, I think the time has arrived to see into it,” Roy said.

 

“I do not expect Kalyan to uphold my dignity. I think I can do that... I have been in Parliament for five years, in Assembly for another five and these are pretty long tenures for people to judge. I don't want Kalyan Banerjee's certificate. Let him learn his English first,” he added.

 

Inside the spat: What led to the Mahua-Kalyan fallout 

According to a PTI report citing a TMC source, the altercation took place on April 4, when a party delegation visited the Election Commission to raise the issue of duplicate voter ID numbers. After submitting a memorandum, the MPs also marched to Parliament.

 

The source said Kalyan Banerjee had been tasked with gathering the signatures of all TMC MPs on the memorandum. However, Mahua Moitra was allegedly left out. She reportedly confronted Banerjee outside the EC office, accusing him of excluding her name from the document.

 

The argument escalated, and Banerjee later claimed that Moitra had asked security personnel to arrest him.

 

Leaked chats go viral: Malviya posts explosive screenshots 

Adding fuel to the fire, Amit Malviya posted screenshots of WhatsApp messages allegedly from a TMC MPs group chat. In the chats, Banerjee is seen arguing with Kirti Azad, the party MP from industrial city Durgapur.

 

One message, purportedly by Kalyan Banerjee, read: “Send your BSF and Delhi Police to arrest me. Your home ministry connection is a very strong international great lady.”

 

Another controversial message read: “Today I congratulate the gentleman who opened the beautiful activities of a versatile international lady. That day not a single boyfriend of hers stood behind her... Today of course 30 years famous player stood behind her to get me arrested.”

 

In reply, Kirti Azad is seen asking Kalyan Banerjee not to act like a “juvenile delinquent”. Unfazed, Banerjee appeared to continue his tirade, calling Azad “captain of... internal politics,” and challenged him to try and get him arrested.

 

“Your popularity is so much that you lost election in cricket. Let me see your power to get me arrested for your friend. Do not worry I will go to Durgapur and open your musk (sic),” he allegedly wrote.

Business Standard, however, could not independently verify the authenticity of the screenshots or the video shared online.

 

[With inputs from PTI]