NEW DELHI: The fault lines within Trinamool Congress sharpened on Sunday as senior MP Kalyan Banerjee launched a personal attack on party colleague Mahua Moitra after she publicly condemned “misogynistic” remarks made by him and MLA Madan Mitra in connection with the alleged gang-rape of a law college student in Kolkata. On Sunday, the TMC issued a showcause notice to Kamarhati MLA Madan Mitra and censured Serampore MP Kalyan Banerjee over their controversial remarks on the June 25 assault that took place within the college premises. Party president Subrata Bakshi asked Mitra to respond within three days, accusing him of making “unsolicited, unnecessary, and insensitive” comments that hurt the party’s image.While Mitra had advised girls not to trust known persons on college holidays — a statement widely criticised as victim-blaming — Banerjee triggered a fresh row by questioning how the government could prevent incidents where “a friend rapes another friend”.Though both leaders attempted to explain or roll back their comments, what followed was a rare public showdown. Banerjee lashed out at MP Mahua Moitra after she posted on X, “Misogyny in India cuts across party lines. What differentiates TMC is that we condemn such disgusting comments no matter who makes them.” Banerjee hit back, dragging Moitra’s expulsion from Parliament and her personal life into the row.
“If she accuses me of being anti-woman, what is she?” Banerjee said, taking a swipe at her marriage to former BJD MP Pinaki Misra. “She broke a 40-year-old marriage and married a man who is 65. Did she not hurt the other lady?”
The party, in an official statement, distanced itself from the comments made by both Banerjee and Mitra, stressing that these were personal opinions and not endorsed by the TMC.
The internal friction has emerged even as the TMC faces fire from the BJP and opposition over the recent spike in crimes against women in educational institutions — including the RG Kar Medical College rape-murder case last year.BJP’s Dharmendra Pradhan, while addressing a programme in Kolkata, said the “collapse of Bengal’s education system” had once again been exposed. “The RG Kar incident should have been a wake-up call, but the same barbarity has returned,” he said.BJP state chief Sukanta Majumdar, released from lock-up after 15 hours, said: “Two rapes inside educational campuses within eight months — this isn’t an isolated incident but a pattern.” BJP has announced district-level gheraos of SP offices on Monday.Leader of opposition Suvendu Adhikari has called for a Nabanna Abhiyan on August 9 in solidarity with the families of both survivors, accusing the state government of shielding political allies at the cost of student safety.
