TMC MP Kalyan Banerjee resigned as party chief whip after Mahua Moitra allegedly called him a pig. He accused her of ingratitude, saying he had defended her in 2023 during a Parliament controversy.
Senior Trinamool Congress MP Kalyan Banerjee has stepped down as the party’s chief whip in the Lok Sabha, hours after a bitter public spat with fellow MP Mahua Moitra. The party accepted his resignation shortly after. TMC in its official statement confirmed Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar was named the new chief whip in Lok Sabha. The party also informed that Satabdi Roy was appointed the new deputy leader.
Kalyan Banerjee vs Mahua Moitra
In a strongly worded post on X, Banerjee wrote, “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. I owe the nation an apology for having defended someone who clearly lacks basic gratitude.”
His comments came after Mahua Moitra allegedly likened him to a pig during a verbal exchange, escalating tensions within the party.
In his earlier post on X, banerjee wrote, "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."
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'Abuse is abuse, regardless of gender'
Slamming Moitra further in his long post on X, Kalyan Banerjee wrote:
"Those who think invective can replace substance should take a hard look at the kind of politics they are practising - and the hollowness it exposes. When a public representative stoops to name-calling and coarse innuendo, it reflects not strength, but insecurity."
He added, "Let me state this clearly: What I did speak about were questions of public accountability and personal conduct, which every public figure must be prepared to face — man or woman. If those facts are inconvenient or uncomfortable, it does not justify branding legitimate criticism as "misogyny" to escape scrutiny.
Banerjee said, "Labeling 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. Such remarks are not just indecent, they reinforce a toxic double standard where men are expected to silently endure what would never be tolerated if roles were reversed."
"If Ms. Moitra thinks that flinging gutter insults will mask her own failures or distract from serious questions about her record, she is deluding herself. Those who rely on abuse instead of answers are not champions of democracy - they are its embarrassment, and the people of this country can see through that act," his post on X read.
