Daijiworld Media Network- Kolkata
Kolkata, Apr 9: Internal tensions within the Trinamool Congress (TMC) have come to the fore after a video of a heated exchange between party MPs and alleged screenshots from the TMC’s official WhatsApp group for parliamentarians went viral on Tuesday.
The controversy gained traction when BJP’s IT Cell chief Amit Malviya shared purported WhatsApp screenshots on social media, claiming that the messages revealed a bitter argument between senior TMC MPs Kalyan Banerjee and Kirti Azad. However, news agency PTI clarified that the authenticity of these screenshots could not be independently verified.
According to Malviya, the virtual clash followed a verbal altercation between TMC parliamentarians during a visit to the Election Commission’s headquarters. The delegation had gone to submit a party memorandum, but what transpired was an argument between MPs — one of whom is a woman — which reportedly later continued on the party’s internal communication channel.
Kalyan Banerjee, speaking to the media in Kolkata, acknowledged that an argument occurred and blamed the woman MP for creating the situation. “She asked security personnel outside the EC office to arrest me. I’ve been in politics for over 40 years. Who are they to ask for my arrest? She hurled abuses at me,” Banerjee said, adding, “Just because she speaks fluent English doesn’t give her the right to insult others.”
The woman MP involved declined to comment on the matter when approached by PTI.
Party sources revealed that after the incident, the woman MP exited the TMC parliamentarians’ WhatsApp group and sent official letters to both party supremo Mamata Banerjee and national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee. The issue is now under the attention of the party leadership.
A senior TMC insider, on the condition of anonymity, noted that the friction arose last week during the EC visit. The woman MP had reportedly objected to the conduct of Banerjee and asked security to intervene, accusing him of misconduct.
Further complicating the situation, a secondary argument broke out on the MPs’ WhatsApp group between Kalyan Banerjee and Kirti Azad. Banerjee alleged that Azad provoked him and later leaked the group messages.
Reacting to the unfolding controversy, veteran TMC MP Sougata Roy criticized Kalyan Banerjee’s behavior, stating, “He has tarnished the image of the party. The leadership should consider removing him as chief whip. His conduct has been consistently inappropriate.”
Interestingly, earlier in the day, Roy claimed ignorance of the full matter but admitted that the situation has brought disrepute to the party.
As the political storm brews, Malviya continued to post a series of critical remarks on X (formerly Twitter), targeting the TMC over the internal chaos.
The party now finds itself in a difficult position ahead of the upcoming elections, as leadership scrambles to manage the infighting that has spilled into public view.