Kalyan Banerjee vs Mahua Moitra: TMC leaders trade barbs in public; all you need to know about the feud | India News

NEW DELHI: Amid an apparent feud with her own party MP Mahua Moitra, TMC MP Kalyan Banerjee on Tuesday sought an “apology” by posting an old video of him defending Moitra in Parliament. “In 2023, I stood by Ms Moitra when she was under fire in Parliament — I did so out of conviction, not compulsion. Today, she repays that support by calling me a misogynist,” Kalyan Banerjee said while posting the video on X. The TMC MP further said, “I owe the nation an apology for having defended someone who clearly lacks basic gratitude. Let people see her words for what they are and judge accordingly.”This comes after Kalyan Banerjee on Monday resigned as the party’s chief whip in the Lok Sabha, alleging that he was being blamed unfairly for lack of coordination among MPs even as some barely attend Parliament.The move came hours after a virtual meeting of TMC MPs chaired by party supremo and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, where she reportedly expressed her displeasure over poor coordination in the party’s parliamentary wing.Just ahead of his resignation, Kalyan Banerjee, in a long post on X, accused Moitra of abusing him and having a deep disregard for basic norms of civil discourse.“I have taken note of the recent personal remarks made by Ms. Mahua Moitra in a public podcast. Her choice of words, including the use of dehumanising language such as comparing a fellow MP to a ‘pig’, is not only unfortunate but reflects a deep disregard for basic norms of civil discourse,” he said in the post.“Labelling a male colleague as ‘sexually frustrated’ isn’t boldness – it’s outright abuse. If such language were directed at a woman, there would be nationwide outrage, and rightly so. But when a man is the target, it’s dismissed or even applauded. Let’s be clear: abuse is abuse – regardless of gender,” he wrote.