BJP targets Mamata Banerjee over alleged infighting within TMC top brass

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Tuesday claimed that several lawmakers within the Trinamool Congress (TMC), the party in power in West Bengal, allegedly had an ugly spat at the office of the Election Commission of India, a squabble that reportedly trickled into the party’s internal WhatsApp chats too.

BJP’s IT cell chief Amit Malviya shared on social media platform X the alleged screenshots of a heated conversation between TMC lawmakers and said, “On 4th April 2024, two TMC MPs had a public spat at the headquarters of the Election Commission of India, where they had gone to submit a representation. It appears the party had instructed its MPs to gather at the Parliament office to sign the memorandum before proceeding to the EC. However, the MP carrying the memorandum skipped the Parliament meeting and went directly to the EC.”

He further said, “This angered another MP, who confronted him when they came face to face at the Commission. A heated exchange followed, with the two shouting at each other — so much so that one of them asked the police personnel present to intervene.”

Malviya alleged that the issue was even reported to West Bengal chief minister and TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee.

“The matter escalated quickly and reached Mamata Banerjee, who reportedly asked both MPs to stand down. But the feud didn’t end there. It spilled over into the ‘AITC MP 2024’ WhatsApp group, where warring camps took sides and traded barbs. And in the middle of it all, the question still lingers: who exactly is the ‘versatile international lady’? That mystery is one for the world to unravel,” he said.

According to TMC sources, a delegation of MPs went to EC last week, but arguments started after one of the MPs, a prominent woman leader known for her fiery speeches, found that her name was missing in the memorandum. While she was advised by her senior colleague to write down her name, one of the senior Lok Sabha MPs passed a sarcastic remark, triggering a heated argument.

The woman MP then allegedly asked CISF jawans who were on duty in the EC office to arrest her fellow lawmaker. The senior MP, known for her frequent outbursts, lashed out at the woman lawmaker even as others tried to intervene. The ugly spat continued for some time, they said.

Later, the woman MP shot a letter to Mamata Banerjee and quit the WhatsApp group. A copy of the complaint was also reportedly sent to TMC general secretary Abhishek Banerjee.

The screenshots shared by Malviya purportedly showed TMC MP Kalyan Banerjee’s arguments with party lawmaker Kriti Azad.

HT could not independently verify the veracity of the screenshots.

According to party insiders, Banerjee is likely to intervene to resolve this issue.