New Delhi: The discord between Trinamool Congress MPs came to the fore once again on Monday (August 4), when the party's chief whip in the Lok Sabha Kalyan Banerjee announced his decision to step down. His resignation was accepted by party supremo Mamata Banerjee at Monday's party meeting in New Delhi.

Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar has taken over his position as chief whip, even as Abhishek Banerjee, Mamata Banerjee’s nephew, took over as the party's leader in the Lok Sabha.

Ahead of his resignation, Banerjee, known for his fiery speeches in the Lok Sabha, wrote a stinging post attacking his Lok Sabha colleague Mahua Moitra, with whom he had a public tussle in April during a party delegation’s visit to the Election Commission.

Banerjee wrote a long post:

“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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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.

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.

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.”

He told reporters that his resignation was prompted by the party’s lack of action against Moitra and her disparaging remarks about him.

Earlier on Monday, he thanked Mamata Banerjee for accepting his resignation but also added in his defence, “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. Let people see her words for what they are and judge accordingly.”

“She [Mamata] feels there is a lack of coordination in Lok Sabha, that’s why I resigned. But is she aware of the situation? Most party MPs never even show up. And it is supposed to be my fault? Sudip [Bandopadhyay] never comes. Kakoli [Ghosh Dastidar] drops by occasionally. Can you believe that the South Kolkata MP is always absent? Only around 11 of our 29 MPs attend the House,” he told reporters.

A war of words had ensued between Banerjee and Moitra ever since they publicly clashed at the Election Commission's office.

After Banerjee’s distasteful remarks on the Kolkata law student rape case triggered political backlash, Moitra had hit back saying that “misogynist” elements existed in all parties but that Trinamool was different as its leader Mamata Banerjee condemns its own leaders for any loose talk, as had been reflected in the party distancing itself from his statement.

Kalyan Banerjee had said, “A few men commit this type of crime … But what can be done if a friend rapes his friend? Will the police be in schools?”

He soon targeted Moitra by attacking her recent marriage with former Biju Janata Dal MP Pinaki Misra. “Mahua has come back to India after her honeymoon and started fighting with me … She is saying I am anti-women. What is she? She has broken up a family of 40 years and married a 65-year-old guy. Did she not harm the lady? The women of the country will decide whether she broke up the family.”

“An MP who was expelled from parliament for breach of ethics is telling me about philosophy! She is the most anti-woman. She knows only to secure her future and make money,” he went on to say.

Although the latest row between the two leaders was triggered by Moitra’s remarks in a podcast, she has resisted speaking publicly over the last two days.

Moitra wrote a congratulatory post for the party’s latest appointees. She also felicitated Dastidar Ghosh for her appointment as chief whip and Satabdi Roy for being appointed her deputy.

“Heartfelt congratulations to my senior colleagues @kakoligdastidar & @SatabdiRoyMP for being nominated Chief Whip & Deputy Leader of AITC in Lok Sabha. God bless & shine on!,” Moitra said on X.

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