‘You took them from Cong’: Priyanka Gandhi-Kalyan Banerjee banter outside Parliament as he opposes TMC rebels

As Kalyan Banerjee continued his protest, Priyanka Gandhi walked up to him and said that the TMC had earlier welcomed several Congress leaders into the party. Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi and Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Kalyan Banerjee, who was suspended from the Lok Sabha last week, were seen interacting inside the Parliament complex on Thursday over the political ties between the two parties. The interaction happened as Banerjee was protesting against the merger of 20 rebel TMC MPs with the Nationalist Citizens Party of India (NCPI).TMC MP Kalyan Banerjee stage a protest as Congress MPs Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Imran Masood, MP Pappu Yadav and others look on during the Monsoon session of Parliament, in New Delhi. (PTI)Last month, former TMC chief whip Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar, deputy leader Shatabdi Ray, and actors Deepak Adhikari and Saayoni Ghosh were among the 20 MPs who left the TMC after the party lost power in West Bengal and joined the Tripura-based NCPI in a boost to the National Democratic Alliance (NDA).Inside Priyanka Gandhi and Kalyan Banerjee’s conversationAs Kalyan Banerjee continued his protest over the merger of the rebel MPs with the NCPI, Priyanka Gandhi walked up to him and said that the TMC had earlier welcomed several Congress leaders into the party in West Bengal.In visuals shared by news agencies PTI and ANI, the Congress leader was heard telling Banerjee: “You took them from Congress to TMC.”Responding to her, Kalyan Banerjee said TMC founder and former West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee was "forced" out of the Congress party earlier."...Even I was with the Congress once. I was the vice-president of the Youth Congress. You people forced Didi (Mamata Banerjee) to leave in 1997," he replied.'Rajiv Gandhi respected Mamata Banerjee': Priyanka GandhiThe Congress MP then said, "Rajiv (Gandhi) ji respected Didi a lot," and Banerjee agreed with her.Banerjee then added that the Congress party joined hands with the Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPI-M) after Mamata was "forced out of Congress", even as the TMC's fight was against the CPI-M in West Bengal.Later, Congress MP Pappu Yadav asked Banerjee whether the Congress was standing with the TMC during the current crisis. To this, Banerjee agreed.TMC seeks disqualification petitions against rebel MPsTMC MP Abhishek Banerjee on Monday wrote to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, requesting an early hearing on the disqualification petitions filed against the 20 rebel MPs who joined the NCPI.In the letter, Banerjee, who is the leader of the Trinamool Congress parliamentary party in the Lok Sabha, said more than five weeks had passed since the petitions were submitted. He added that no notices had been issued and no hearings had been fixed, adding that "such continued inaction is a matter of grave concern".He said the 20 MPs were eligible for disqualification under the anti-defection law.Banerjee added that the constitutional authority given to the Speaker under Paragraph 6 of the Tenth Schedule must be exercised within a reasonable period to ensure the anti-defection law remains effective and serves its intended purpose.With inputs from agenciesAryan Mudgal is a Content Producer at Hindustan Times with nearly three years of experience. He is part of the digital news team at HT and enjoys covering day-to-day news and writing long, detailed explainers on key national and global affairs. He takes particular interest in reading and writing about Indian politics, crime, civic issues, as well as global affairs. He goes berserk when covering elections, especially Lok Sabha and assembly polls, and always looks out for fresh stories that could intrigue readers. At Hindustan Times, Aryan has covered various major events, including the Bihar assembly elections, Maharashtra civic polls, the US' military action in Venezuela, Union Budget, and Bangladesh elections. He has previously worked with the explainers team at Firstpost and the news desk at Times Network, covering a range of events including the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, Israel–Hamas war, Russia-Ukraine war, Bangladesh’s student protests and Sheikh Hasina’s ouster, Delhi assembly elections, and more. He completed his bachelor’s degree in CEP (Communications & Media, English, and Psychology) from Christ University, Bengaluru, and later pursued a postgraduate diploma in English Journalism from the Indian Institute of Mass Communication (IIMC). He hails from Siliguri in West Bengal and enjoys reading about politics and day-to-day issues concerning the state. Outside of work, Aryan loves listening to music and enjoys rewatching his favourite comfort shows.Read More