Trinamool's internal trouble deepens as spat involving four party MPs turns murkier

Kolkata, April 8 (IANS) The internal crisis in Trinamool Congress seems to be exacerbating as the spat involving four party Lok Sabha members has become murkier with two of them openly hurling accusations and charges at each other over the issue.

The entire episode unfolded earlier on Tuesday with BJP’s Information Technology cell chief and the party’s central observer for West Bengal, Amit Malviya, uploading on his X handle four videos of a spat between Trinamool MPs Kalyan Banerjee and Kirti Azad within the premises of the Election Commission of India on April 4.

Besides posting the video clips, Malviya also claimed that “soon after the public spat between two TMC MPs in the precincts of the Election Commission of India on April 4, the irate MP continued slandering the “Versatile International Lady (VIL)”. He also posted some messages from the said WhatsApp Group indicating the spat there.

Although initially it was not clear who is being referred to as the “Versatile International Lady”, later, it seemed that it was used for Trinamool MP Mahua Moitra after another veteran party MP Saugata Roy confirmed to media persons about a spat also between Banerjee and Moitra within the ECI premises on the same date.

While things seemed at a manageable level till that point in time, the controversies were blown out of proportion later in the day, as Banerjee, addressing a press conference, attacked a number of fellow party MPs.

Without directly naming her, Banerjee said that he would not accept that lady MP just because she is “good looking” and “can speak in fluent English”.

“She had no connection with Trinamool Congress when the latter was fighting the Left Front misrule in the state. If Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee asks me, I will quit the party. But I will not tolerate insults. I am neither an MP coming from the quota nor joined Trinamool Congress from any other party,” he said.

Next, Banerjee targeted Roy and described him as a politician tainted in the Narada sting video scandal in 2016, where several Trinamool leaders, including Roy, were seen accepting cash on video allegedly against promises of favours. He also accused Roy of maligning the image of Trinamool.

Responding to the attack, Roy told the media that Banerjee, who generally does not care for cautious behaviour, has crossed all limits of decency. “Kalyan has lost his mental balance totally. He thinks that he can say whatever he feels like about anyone. There is not a single member in the party’s Parliamentary group who is in support of Kalyan,” he claimed.

Banerjee has claimed that if the Chief Minister asks, he is ready to quit the party.

Meanwhile, Malviya, on Tuesday, issued a fresh post on his X handle commenting on the spat between Roy and Banerjee. “Kalyan says if Mamata herself were to say he’s wrong, he would quit the party and politics on the spot. So, we now know who’s backing him!” Malviya’s post read.

–IANS

src/vd