“Acting With A Motive”: Kalyan Banerjee Hits Back At Kakoli Dastidar Over Abuse Allegations

A political controversy within the Trinamool Congress intensified on Thursday after party MP Kalyan Banerjee strongly reacted to allegations made by fellow MP Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar regarding verbal abuse inside the Lok Sabha. Banerjee questioned the timing of Dastidar's complaint and claimed that the allegations appeared to be driven by "motive".

Kalyan Banerjee Questions Timing Of Allegations

Speaking at a press conference, Banerjee said that any incident taking place inside the Lok Sabha should be immediately reported to the Speaker. He questioned why the matter was raised later instead of being brought up instantly.

"After something happens on the floor, the Speaker must be informed immediately, that is the rule. Any incident must be reported to the Speaker without delay. As for the allegations being made, the question is who said what and when. The problem lies in their intentions. It seems they are acting with a motive, which raises my doubts," Banerjee said.

His remarks came after Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar wrote to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla seeking permission to file a formal complaint against Banerjee over alleged repeated verbal abuse inside Parliament.

Kakoli Dastidar Calls Out 'Misogynistic' Behaviour

In her letter to the Speaker, Dastidar accused Banerjee of repeatedly verbally abusing her inside the Lok Sabha. She also described the alleged behaviour as misogynistic and claimed that several women MPs had faced similar treatment.

"I seek your permission to lodge a formal complaint to you for redressal against Lok Sabha Member of AITC Kalyan Banerjee, who has repeatedly verbally abused me inside the Lok Sabha," Dastidar wrote.

"This misogyny has been against many lady members and needs to be punished," she further stated.

The Barasat MP also raised concerns about the treatment of women parliamentarians and suggested that such incidents reflected a larger issue within political spaces.

Resignation From Organisational Posts Added To Speculation

The controversy surfaced a day after Dastidar resigned from all organisational positions within the Trinamool Congress, including her role as president of the party's women's wing. She said the decision came after "deep mental conflict and long reflection".

However, she clarified that she would continue as a Member of Parliament and remain associated with the party as an ordinary worker.

In recent weeks, Dastidar had skipped several major party programmes and publicly expressed concerns regarding the party's internal functioning.

Dastidar Criticises Internal Party Functioning

In her resignation letter, Dastidar indirectly referred to Banerjee without naming him, accusing "another uneducated and rude party MP" of behaving indecently towards a woman MP. She also alleged that senior party leaders failed to stop such behaviour or extend support.

"It is not worth staying in a position where the indecent behaviour of another uneducated and rude party MP on a woman MP cannot be stopped or the cooperation and sympathy of the senior leadership cannot be obtained," she wrote.

Dastidar had also earlier criticised the party's functioning and described her removal as TMC's Lok Sabha chief whip as "authoritarian".

"It would have been better if she had informed me in advance. Instead of being authoritarian, it would have been better if she had adopted a democratic process," Dastidar said while referring to party chief Mamata Banerjee.