The Trinamool Congress (TMC) is grappling with internal unrest following the surfacing of a video showing a verbal altercation between party MPs, along with alleged screenshots of an argument on the party’s official WhatsApp group for parliamentarians. The controversy erupted on April 8 and has since snowballed into a major embarrassment for the party ahead of the general elections.
The BJP’s IT Cell chief Amit Malviya posted purported screenshots of a fierce exchange between senior MPs Kalyan Banerjee and Kirti Azad. The trigger, according to Malviya, was a clash during a TMC delegation’s recent visit to the Election Commission to submit a party memorandum. What began as a disagreement allegedly turned into a verbal confrontation involving Kalyan Banerjee and Moitra. According to Malviya, the argument continued later on the party’s internal WhatsApp group, ultimately leading to a public fallout.
On 4th April 2024, two TMC MPs had a public spat at the headquarters of the Election Commission of India, where they had gone to submit a representation. It appears the party had instructed its MPs to gather at the Parliament office to sign the memorandum before proceeding to the… pic.twitter.com/BwqQRE8FhI
— Amit Malviya (@amitmalviya) April 7, 2025
According to screenshots shared by BJP IT Cell chief Amit Malviya—which are yet to be independently verified—Banerjee made derogatory remarks referring to Moitra as a “versatile international lady.” One message allegedly read: “Send your BSF and Delhi Police to arrest me. Your home ministry connection is very strong, international great lady.” Another said, “That day not a single boyfriend stood behind her… Today, of course… famous player stood behind her to get me arrested.”
Soon after the public spat between two TMC MPs in the precincts of the Election Commission of India on 4th April 2025, the irate MP continued slandering the ‘Versatile International Lady (VIL)’…
This is the stuff legends are made of! pic.twitter.com/dsubQrmQUj
— Amit Malviya (@amitmalviya) April 8, 2025
Kalyan Banerjee, speaking to the press in Kolkata, acknowledged the argument and blamed Mahua Moitra for escalating the situation. “She asked the EC security personnel to arrest me. I’ve been in politics for over four decades. Who are they to ask for my arrest?” he said. “Just because she speaks fluent English doesn’t give her the right to insult others,” he added, accusing her of hurling abuses at him.
Moitra has refrained from commenting publicly. However, party insiders confirmed that she has exited the WhatsApp group and sent formal letters to both party supremo Mamata Banerjee and national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee. The matter is now under the leadership’s scrutiny.
Further compounding the controversy, Kalyan Banerjee accused fellow MP Kirti Azad of provoking him during the WhatsApp exchange and leaking the messages. Azad has not publicly responded to these allegations.
TMC MP Kirti Azad, a former cricketer, confronted Banerjee on the group, calling his conduct juvenile. Banerjee responded by mocking Azad’s past electoral loss in cricket administration, calling him “captain of internal politics.” Sources say their differences date back to an earlier disagreement, when Banerjee objected to Azad’s proposal to open a “sandesh” (Bengali sweet) stall in Parliament House, insisting that any outlet should be a state government franchise.
Veteran TMC MP Sougata Roy also weighed in, sharply criticising Banerjee’s conduct. “He has tarnished the image of the party. The leadership should consider removing him as chief whip. His behaviour has been consistently inappropriate,” Roy stated. Earlier in the day, he had claimed ignorance of the details but later admitted that the issue had damaged the party’s reputation.
🚨 BREAKING NEWS
TMC MP Sougata Roy DEMANDED removal of TMC MP Kalyan Banerjee from Chief Whip position 🤯
— Amit Malviya earlier shared WhatsApp chats showing a spat between TMC MPs Kalyan Banerjee & Kirti Azad from party's official MP group. pic.twitter.com/QmIEI8W7H3
— Megh Updates 🚨™ (@MeghUpdates) April 8, 2025
The controversy reportedly began last week when a TMC delegation visited the Election Commission (EC) to submit a memorandum on the issue of duplicate voter identity cards. During the visit, Mahua Moitra allegedly confronted Kalyan Banerjee, the party’s chief whip in the Lok Sabha, over her exclusion from the list of signatories on the memorandum. A heated argument is said to have erupted at the EC office, with Banerjee later claiming that Moitra asked security personnel to arrest him, accusing him of misconduct.
Senior TMC MP Sougata Roy said Moitra was seen crying after the altercation and urged the party leadership to act. “What he has done has maligned the party. He should be immediately removed as the chief whip. Kalyan Banerjee is known for his intemperate and uncivilised behaviour,” Roy said.
Under fire, Banerjee addressed a press conference, acknowledging the spat but defending himself. “I have been in politics for the last 40 years. This woman MP was asking the security staff outside the EC office to arrest me. Who are they to send me to jail? She hurled abuses at me,” he claimed. Taking a veiled dig at Moitra, he added, “Just because the woman MP speaks fluent English doesn’t mean she can insult anybody. I fight in Parliament. I’m not obsessed with one industrial house.”
Moitra declined to comment when contacted. Roy, meanwhile, reiterated that although he was not present at the EC office, he saw Moitra visibly upset at Vijay Chowk afterward. “She told other MPs he behaved in an uncivilised manner. He has a history—from calling Jyotiraditya Scindia a ‘lady killer’ to throwing a bottle during a JPC meeting. I have remained silent so far, but this can’t go on,” Roy said.
Senior party leaders have confirmed that the matter has reached the top leadership. “I feel the time has come to act against Kalyan Banerjee and remove him from the party. Let the leadership take a call,” Roy said.
Meanwhile, Banerjee appeared to continue his attacks. Without naming Moitra, he accused her of being a former confidante of a top Congress leader and accused her of monopolising Parliament debates. “She came to our party after 2009. Her sole agenda is to attack Narendra Modi and (Gautam) Adani. She served the interests of an industrialist,” he said.
Banerjee also lashed out at Sougata Roy, calling him a “Narada Chor” and alleging his loyalty lay with the late Congress leader Priya Ranjan Das Munshi. Roy, unfazed, fired back: “In calling us ‘Narada Chor’ he has not only insulted us but damaged our party also. Of course, I was close to Priya Ranjan Das Munshi. However, I have been in Mamata Banerjee’s party since 2001. I don’t need a certificate from Kalyan, who has become famous as uncouth. Let him live with that. But he should be removed as the chief whip.”
