Kalyan Banerjee resigns as TMC's chief whip in Lok Sabha over internal rift, Mahua Moitra's 'pig' remark

TMC MP Mahua Moitra, in a podcast with a media house, hit out at Kalyan Banerjee, and called him a "pig" following Banerjee's "anti-woman" remark against her.

Banerjee also accused her of breaking a family (referring to Moitra's recent marriage to divorced BJD ex-MP Pinaki Misra), following an earlier war of words over a rape of a student in a Kolkata law college by a Trinamool Congress functionary. 

"I have quit as the party's chief whip in Lok Sabha, as 'didi' (West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee) said during the virtual meeting that there is a lack of coordination among party MPs. So the blame is on me. Hence, I have decided to step down," Kalyan Banerjee told a news channel,  reported news agency Press Trust of India.

Banerjee stepped down as the party chief whip in 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.

Earlier, Mahua Moitra, in a podcast with a media house, had hit out at Kalyan Banerjee, dubbing him a "pig".

"You don't wrestle with a pig. Because the pig likes it and you get dirty," Moitra had said, responding to Banerjee's comments on her marriage to Odisha's former MP Pinaki Mishra.

"There are deeply misogynistic, sexually frustrated, depraved men in India and they have their representation in parliament across all parties," she added.

Meanwhile in another major change, Abhishek Banerjee has been chosen to lead the party in the Lok Sabha owing to health issues of TMC MP Sudip Bandopadhyay.

Making the announcement, Mamata Banerjee said: "I convened a virtual meeting today with all
@AITCofficial MPs from both the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha. Given that our Lok Sabha leader, Shri Sudip Bandyopadhyay, is unwell and undergoing medical treatment, the MPs have unanimously decided to entrust Shri Abhishek Banerjee with the responsibility of leading the party in the Lok Sabha as the leader of the party until Sudip da returns to good health."

Accepting the new role, Abhish Banerjee said he will work closely with all colleagues to ensure that Trinamool’s voice remains strong and unwavering in Parliament.