TMC parliamentary party shake-up: Kalyan out after Mamata’s rebuke over Mahua spat

The Trinamool Congress (TMC) has announced a major leadership change in its parliamentary setup, replacing both its Lok Sabha chief whip Kalyan Banerjee and parliamentary party leader Sudip Bandopadhyay.

Abhishek Banerjee, MP from Diamond Harbour and Mamata Banerjee’s nephew, has been appointed as the new parliamentary party leader in the Lok Sabha.

Abhishek, already the party's key liaison with the INDIA bloc in Delhi, is expected to anchor the TMC’s national positioning ahead of the 2026 Bengal Assembly polls.

Also Read: Trinamool Congress picks Abhishek Banerjee as its Lok Sabha leader

Virtual meet with MPs

The change came after a brief but contentious 12-minute virtual meeting chaired by Mamata Banerjee with the party’s MPs.

Mamata criticised Kalyan Banerjee’s performance and announced additional responsibilities for deputy leader Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar, which reportedly triggered Kalyan’s resignation.

Kalyan Banerjee later told the media that he was being unfairly "blamed for poor coordination among MPs".

"I have quit as the party's chief whip in Lok Sabha as Didi (Mamata) 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," he told PTI.

"Those whom Mamata Banerjee made MPs don't even come to Lok Sabha. South Kolkata, Barrackpore, Bankura, North Kolkata... hardly anyone attends Parliament. What can I do? What is my fault? I am being blamed for everything," he fumed.

Also Read: Why TMC’s new welfare scheme can cut both ways for cash-strapped Mamata govt

Fallout of a feud?

The crisis followed an escalating war of words between Kalyan Banerjee and Mahua Moitra. In a recent podcast, Mahua likened Kalyan to a “pig”, responding to Kalyan Banerjee's comments about her personal life and her marriage to former BJD MP Pinaki Mishra.

"You don't wrestle with a pig. Because the pig likes it and you get dirty. There are deeply misogynistic, sexually frustrated, depraved men in India and they have their representation in parliament across all parties," Moitra said.

Kalyan hit back in a lengthy post on X, accusing her of “abuse” and “dehumanising” rhetoric. "Her choice of words, including the use of dehumanising language such as comparing a fellow MP to a "pig", is not only unfortunate but reflects a deep disregard for basic norms of civil discourse, Kalyan Banerjee said.

"Labelling a male colleague as ‘sexually frustrated’ isn’t boldness — it’s outright abuse. Such remarks are not just indecent, they reinforce a toxic double standard where men are expected to silently endure what would never be tolerated if roles were reversed," he added.

Also Read: Mahua Moitra mocks PM Modi’s Maa Kali invocation, revives ‘dhokla’ jibe

Focus on real issues

The public spat drew widespread attention, prompting Mamata to intervene and caution her MPs against internal feuds.

She urged them to concentrate on issues such as the Special Intensive Revision exercise and the National Register of Citizens.

While both Mamata and Abhishek were reportedly displeased with the episode, Abhishek has since offered to meet Kalyan in Delhi later this week, signalling a possible reconciliation.