Full blown intra-party feud grips Trinamool Congress, Mamata Banerjee issues decree: All you need to know

In a shocking display of events, the Trinamool Congress (TMC) found itself divided into sections after a video and purported screenshots of a heated spat between two of its senior parliamentarians, Kalyan Banerjee and Kirti Azad were leaked online. At the centre of this surprising turn of events lie past instances which have reportedly soured relations of these Trinamool legislators. A verbal public spate outside the Election Commission of India office earlier this month, is however, being reported as the trigger for this ignominous infighting.

As per the information widely available so far, the incident, which occurred on April 4 at the Election Commission of India (ECI) headquarters in New Delhi, has now escalated into a full-blown political embarrassment, prompting TMC chief Mamata Banerjee to step in.

While the spate has been ongoing for some days now, the TMC intra party feud came to the fore when BJP Social media head Amit Malviya shared a video on X (formerly Twitter), along with purported screenshots from a WhatsApp group named ‘AITC MP 2024’.

The video showed Kalyan Banerjee, TMC’s Chief Whip in the Lok Sabha, shouting in the presence of party colleagues and security personnel. While voices in the background reportedly include that of Rajya Sabha MP Derek O’Brien urging him to calm down, Kalyan Banerjee defiantly said, “Let it be, I want it to be out in the media.”

Amit Malviya claimed that the altercation was sparked when Kalyan Banerjee skipped a scheduled meeting at the TMC’s Parliament office, instead headed directly to the ECI. This irritated other MPs, particularly Mahua Moitra, who allegedly also discovered that her name was missing from the list of signatories on a memorandum being submitted to the poll body. According to Trinamool Congress insiders, Moitra confronted Banerjee outside the ECI office, triggering a fiery verbal exchange. As per reports, the woman TMC legislator had allegedly approached the security personnel deployed at the ECI office to “arrest Kalyan Banerjee”. 

Kalyan Banerjee takes the fight head on with Mahua Moitra and TMC legislators backing her — Kirti Azad, Sougata Roy

Adding to the drama, screenshots from the party’s internal WhatsApp group revealed a bitter war of words between Kalyan Banerjee and fellow Trinamool Congress MP Kirti Azad. In a cryptic message, Kalyan Banerjee took a jibe at a “versatile international lady” widely presumed to be Mahua Moitra, accusing her of political opportunism and alleging she tried to have him arrested by the Border Security Force (BSF) present at the site. Kirti Azad responded, asking TMC MP Kalyan Banerjee to “act like an adult” and accusing him of “juvenile delinquency.”

The WhatsApp exchanges further exposed the widening rift within the party. Kalyan Banerjee then accused Kirti Azad, a former BJP MP, of internal politicking and undermining party unity. In retaliation, Kirti Azad reminded Banerjee of the responsibility entrusted to him by Mamata Banerjee and advised him to cool off. The messages revealed not just personal bitterness, but also hinted at deeper factionalism within Trinamool Congress ranks.

Senior party leader Saugata Roy, although not present during the altercation, tacitly confirmed Mahua Moitra’s involvement. In a press briefing, Saugata Roy condemned Kalyan Banerjee’s “intemperate behaviour” and deemed it unacceptable. He also supported demands for Banerjee to be removed from his post as Chief Whip.

In response, Kalyan Banerjee defended himself at a separate press conference. He claimed the altercation was provoked by a female MP who shouted at him and demanded his arrest. While he did not name Mahua Moitra, Kalyan Banerjee’s comments left little to no room for doubt. He also accused her of having no political agenda beyond attacking Prime Minister Narendra Modi and industrialist Gautam Adani, suggesting she serves “the interests of other industrialists.”

Kalyan Banerjee further claimed that Mahua Moitra’s political rise stemmed from her proximity to a senior Congress leader and criticized her for never having fought the Left Front during its rule in Bengal. He also lashed out at Saugata Roy and Kirti Azad, accusing them of tarnishing the party’s image and colluding with the BJP to leak internal matters.

“I will not accept that uncivilised woman! I will not tolerate that rude female MP who pressurises me to give her more time (to speak in Parliament). What is this?” Kalyan Banerjee said in a press conference.

Reacting to Sougata Roy’s assertions on his “character”, Kalyan Banerjee hit back saying, “Does Sougata Roy have a character?”

Banerjee also accused Roy of being disruptive adding, “His very nature is to disturb one and all.”

Banerjee further added that Roy has disliked him since as far back as 2001.

He even invoked the Narada sting operation to take a jibe at Roy. Banerjee called Saugata Roy the “Narada chor”, recalling how he was allegedly caught on camera accepting cash.

Kalyan added, “The party’s image was tainted because of him first”.

The disgruntled TMC MP, Kalyan Banerjee further mentioned how outrage over the sting operation was seen in slogans like “chor chor” in 2016, adding that while others distanced themselves during the crisis, he alone took the brunt of public and political anger.

The controversy, which has played out in full view of the media and public, has put the Trinamool Congress in an uncomfortable spotlight during a politically sensitive time when the West Bengal Assembly elections are nearby. With state elections looming, party unity and discipline are crucial. The episode has exposed the fragile cohesion among TMC’s top leaders and raised concerns about its internal governance.