A rift within the Trinamool Congress (TMC) Lok Sabha parliamentary party has come to light, with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) quickly capitalising on the controversy. The dispute surfaced after a woman MP reportedly exited the party’s official WhatsApp group and submitted a written complaint to party chairperson Mamata Banerjee, accusing a senior MP of mocking her with the term “international lady.”
The internal feud became public after BJP IT cell chief Amit Malviya shared screenshots of the WhatsApp conversation on social media platform X on Tuesday morning. The images revealed a verbal exchange between senior MP Kalyan Banerjee and newly elected MP Kirti Azad. Malviya also posted a cryptic caption: “Who is this versatile international lady?”—a reference to the phrase allegedly used by the senior MP to describe the complainant.
Though the authenticity of the screenshots remains unverified and the TMC has not issued any official statement, the incident has sparked political speculation and concern within party ranks.
Sources within the TMC confirmed that the woman MP’s letter was delivered to both Mamata Banerjee’s Kalighat residence and to TMC’s second-in-command, Abhishek Banerjee, on Tuesday morning. They also suggest that this is not an isolated case—several other women MPs have reportedly voiced discomfort over past remarks made by the same senior MP. In one earlier incident during a dispute involving the Election Commission, the senior MP allegedly called a female colleague a “quota MP,” a comment many found offensive.
However, the senior MP’s camp has defended him, arguing that the complainant MP initiated the latest conflict and reacted unexpectedly by escalating it to the leadership.
The ongoing tension points to deeper divisions within the TMC’s Lok Sabha contingent. In contrast, the party’s Rajya Sabha unit appears relatively unaffected. Mamata Banerjee chairs the parliamentary party in both Houses, with Sudip Bandyopadhyay leading in the Lok Sabha and Derek O’Brien in the Rajya Sabha.
The current row reportedly began over a proposal by the new MP to support the opening of a branch of a popular Chittaranjan Park sweet shop in the new Parliament building’s canteen. A draft letter supporting the move was circulated among TMC MPs for signatures. However, the senior MP objected, informed Mamata Banerjee, and the party issued a whip instructing members not to back any initiative involving private enterprises. The woman MP, who filed the complaint, had initially signed the letter but later withdrew her support in compliance with the whip.
Following this, the WhatsApp group saw heightened tension, especially after the complainant MP left the group. A written confrontation between the senior and new MPs ensued, excerpts of which were later made public by the BJP.
According to TMC insiders, the senior MP is a veteran leader and close aide of Mamata Banerjee, while the new MP, although not deeply entrenched in party politics, has parliamentary experience and recently defeated a high-profile BJP candidate in the 2024 general elections, reclaiming a previously lost seat.
Commenting on the situation, a newly appointed Rajya Sabha MP remarked, “What’s happening in the Lok Sabha group feels more like a college students’ WhatsApp group. The attacks and counterattacks show just how deeply the rift has grown.”
As the BJP continues to amplify the issue, all eyes are now on how Mamata Banerjee will manage the internal discord within her parliamentary party.
Meanwhile, it has been learnt that the TMC chief Mamata Banerjee has issued a stern warning to party MP Mahua Moitra, following a verbal altercation between Moitra and fellow TMC MP Kalyan Banerjee.
The ongoing tension between Mahua Moitra and Kalyan Banerjee appears to stem from several issues. Moitra is reportedly frustrated with Banerjee for not giving her enough speaking time in the Lok Sabha, as he is in charge of managing the floor time for the party’s MPs. Despite her desire to express her views on various matters, Moitra has allegedly been denied multiple opportunities, which has led to growing frustration.
In addition, Banerjee’s increasing influence within the party and his rising media presence are said to have made Moitra feel insecure. The situation worsened when Moitra is alleged to have used offensive language towards Banerjee and his daughter. At one point, she reportedly referred to him as “chhoto lok” (a derogatory Bengali term meaning ‘lowly person’), which deeply offended him and intensified the rift between them. These tensions have only added to the strain in their professional relationship within the party.
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