Amid a rift with his party colleague and fellow parliamentarian Mahua Moitra, senior Trinamool Congress leader Kalyan Banerjee claimed on Monday that he has resigned a the chief whip of the party in Lok Sabha. However, according to sources, Banerjee may reconsider his decision and has already reached out to the party top brass on the matter.
“I have quit as the party’s chief whip in Lok Sabha as ‘Didi’ (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,” Banerjee told a news channel.
The four-time MP from Srerampur, said that he felt humiliated that the party was not holding those responsible for indiscipline and poor attendance to account, but instead making him the fall guy.
“Those whom Mamata Banerjee made MPs don’t even come to Lok Sabha. TMC MPs from South Kolkata, Barrackpore, Bankura, North Kolkata, hardly anyone attends Parliament. What can I do? What is my fault? I am being blamed for everything,” said Banerjee.
The Srerampur MP said that he was so upset that he is thinking of quitting politics altogether.
However, in a late-evening development, Banerjee said he received a call from TMC national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee, who requested him to continue as chief whip for a few more days.
“Just a few minutes ago, Abhishek Banerjee called me and said I should continue for a few more days. He said he will meet me and speak with me on August 7,” Kalyan Banerjee said.
Abhishek Banerjee is set to visit Delhi on August 7 to attend the INDIA bloc dinner and may speak directly to Kalyan Banerjee and sort out pending grievances of the veteran MP.
In an exclusive podcast with India Today, Trinamool MP from Krishnanagar, Mohua Moitra had referred to him as a pig for calling her anti-woman and accused her of breaking a 40-year-old marriage and marrying a 65-year-old guy.
“You don’t wrestle with a pig. Because the pig likes it and you get dirty,” said Moitra.
“There are deeply misogynistic, sexually frustrated, depraved men in India and they have their representation in parliament across all parties,” she added.
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