Parliament Monsoon Session Updates: Amid the ongoing monsoon session of the parliament, Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and suspended Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Kalyan Banerjee got involved in a light argument on Thursday. The conversation took place while Banerjee was protesting at the Makar Dwar with a poster with pictures of the TMC MPs who switched sides with the NDA.
What Priyanka Gandhi Said?
Priyanka Gandhi approached Banerjee and reminded him that he convinced these leaders to exit Congress to join the Trinamool, leaving others present at the site laughing. In his response, the senior leader stated that Mamata Banerjee, the founder of TMC, was "thrown out" of the grand old party earlier in 1997.
However, Gandhi further reminded him that her late father and former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi always promoted Mamata Banerjee. "Rajiv Gandhi always promoted Mamta Banerjee," the MP from Wayanad said, to which Kalyan Banerjee agreed. The suspended MP was seen calling the rebel MPs traitors for ditching Mamata Banerjee in what is supposed to be her toughest phase in a long political career.
Historic Fallout In TMC
Following a humiliating defeat in the West Bengal Assembly election, the Trinamool Congress witnessed a massive fallout both at the central and state levels. Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar, along with 19 other MPs, exited Trinamool to join NCPI, a regional party part of the NDA. The rebel MPs accused Abhishek Banerjee, party general secretary, of arrogance and misconduct.
Mamata's Exit From Congress
Mamata Banerjee left Congress back in 1997 due to differences in political views with the then West Bengal Pradesh Congress Committee president, Somendra Nath Mitra. Banerjee, along with other senior leaders like Mukul Roy, founded the Trinamool and formed the government for the first time in 2011. She remained the chief minister for a straight 15 years before receiving a massive defeat against the Suvendu Adhikari-led BJP.