Add thelocalreport.in As A Trusted Source
New Delhi, Nov 17 (IANS) Trinamool Congress (TMC) Lok Sabha MP Kalyan Banerjee has a habit of attracting controversies and repeatedly launching sharp attacks on his opponents – whether the person is from his party or not.
In the latest round of that aggression, he has publicly accused West Bengal Governor CV Anand Bose of “harboring BJP-backed criminals” and supplying arms and bombs from the Raj Bhavan to attack TMC workers.
Rejecting the allegation, the Governor has sought legal opinion and also ordered a formal search of his official residence in Kolkata by security agencies including bomb squad and sniffer dogs. An FIR has also reportedly been lodged by Raj Bhavan.
This is not the first time that Banerjee has targeted the Raj Bhavan; There have been occasions in the past when he has publicly taken a dig at its current president, calling him a “BJP stooge” and challenging his conduct, drawing a sharp reaction from the Governor’s office.
The clash has heightened centre-state and institutional tensions in West Bengal politics and put Banerjee at the center of a high-profile confrontation with a constitutional incumbent. Several reports highlight Banerjee’s habit of blunt, confrontational statements – be it in Parliament or on the streets, in the party or at public forums – which create controversies time and again and then force the leadership to do damage control.
In August, Banerjee had to step down as the party’s chief whip in the Lok Sabha, citing insults and unfair targeting by some colleagues. He has been involved in clashes with other TMC MPs, following which party president Mamata Banerjee pointed out the lack of coordination among MPs in a meeting, following which he resigned, reportedly taking responsibility.
Perhaps one of the worst clashes seen in New Delhi was his tussle with fellow MP Mahua Moitra which included an exchange of some abusive words. Some media reports linked his resignation to the outcome of that war.
The controversy turned into a major controversy after video footage was leaked on social media, where opponents were seen fighting inside the Election Commission of India office. After this, anger erupted over a closed WhatsApp chat group, which was leaked again. Mamata had to intervene and direct the MPs, mainly the three involved in the fight, not to comment publicly on the issue.
Banerjee, herself a lawyer, has faced formal and informal opposition, including leadership intervention, legal notices and others, which have brought her under media scrutiny. Mamata’s nephew and MP Abhishek Banerjee, who is the party’s general secretary and usually participates in organizational functions, is said to be against her being re-elected to represent TMC from Srirampur Lok Sabha constituency in 2024.
Mamata was reportedly standing by him at the time, but is said to have recently become fed up with the MP’s repeated confrontations. He once broke a glass in anger during a parliamentary standing committee meeting, injuring himself.
He has also imitated the then Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar in front of the cameras during a protest outside Parliament. The incident attracted widespread attention and criticism, with Dhankhar terming the imitation “ridiculous” and “unacceptable”.
According to party sources, he was earlier given the ticket by both Mamata and Abhishek, where Abhishek is now the leader of the Lok Sabha.
–IANS
JB/UK