The internal rift within the Trinamool Congress took a fresh turn after rebel Lok Sabha MP Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar formally urged Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla to take action against senior party leader and MP Kalyan Banerjee over alleged misconduct inside Parliament.
According to reports, Dastidar wrote to the Speaker on June 10 seeking Banerjee’s expulsion from the Lok Sabha. The letter became public on June 15, adding another dimension to the ongoing rebellion within the TMC.
In her complaint, the Barasat MP alleged that Banerjee had repeatedly used objectionable, inappropriate and disrespectful language against her and other women Members of Parliament during House proceedings.
“On several occasions, Mr Kalyan Banerjee has used objectionable, disrespectful and inappropriate language against me and other women members during the sittings and proceedings of the House. Such conduct is unbecoming of a Member of Parliament and undermines the dignity, decorum and standards of parliamentary debate expected from elected representatives,” Dastidar stated in her letter.
She argued that while Article 105 of the Constitution grants certain parliamentary privileges to MPs, those privileges do not extend to personal abuse or behaviour that undermines the dignity of fellow members.
Dastidar further alleged that Banerjee’s actions crossed the boundaries of political disagreement and parliamentary debate and entered the realm of personal harassment.
“Such behaviour goes beyond the limits of robust political disagreement or parliamentary debate and enters the realm of personal abuse and harassment. The conduct has not only caused personal anguish but has also created an atmosphere that discourages the free participation of women in parliamentary proceedings,” she wrote.
The complaint comes at a time when the Trinamool Congress is facing one of its biggest internal crises. On June 15, Dastidar led a group of 20 dissident TMC MPs to meet Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla. The group sought separate seating arrangements in the House and announced its merger with the Nationalist Citizens Party of India (NCPI), signalling a major challenge to the leadership of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.
Reacting to the allegations, Kalyan Banerjee strongly denied the charges and questioned the timing of the complaint. He described the accusations as politically motivated and linked them to recent developments within the party.
“When did I exactly abuse her? She called me a ‘repeated offender’. So, she must specify whether I did this during the tenure of the 15th, 16th or 17th Lok Sabha? Or was it during the 18th Lok Sabha?” Banerjee said.
The TMC MP also questioned why no formal complaint had been lodged earlier if the alleged incidents had occurred repeatedly. He suggested that the accusations surfaced only after Dastidar was removed from the post of TMC’s chief whip in the Lok Sabha.
The controversy has further intensified the ongoing power struggle within the Trinamool Congress, which is already grappling with a significant rebellion by a section of its MPs. Political observers believe the latest exchange of allegations could deepen divisions within the party at a time when dissident leaders are openly challenging the authority of the party leadership.
