New Delhi [India], August 6 : Amid feud and apparent tension between two of its Lok Sabha members, Trinamool Congress (TMC) leadership has effected changes among its office-bearers in the House.
It has nominated Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar as the party's Chief Whip in the Lok Sabha after accepting the resignation of MP Kalyan Banerjee from the post. The party also named Satabdi Roy as the party's Deputy Leader in the Lower House.
"Shri Kalyan Banerjee submitted his resignation yesterday to the Chairperson from the post of Chief Whip of the @AITCofficial Parliamentary Party in the Lok Sabha. The Chairperson has accepted his resignation and thanked him for his contributions in that role," the party said in a statement posted on X on Tuesday.
"In consultation with senior parliamentarians, the Chairperson has nominated Dr. Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar as the new Chief Whip of the @AITCofficial in the Lok Sabha and Smt. Satabdi Roy as the new Deputy Leader of the AITC in the Lok Sabha with immediate effect," it said.
"We extend our best wishes to both of them in their new roles and in their continued efforts to uphold Bengal's pride, rights and honour," the statement added.
Kalyan Banerjee, who thanked the party leadership for accepting his resignation as Chief Whip, in a post earlier targeted party MP Mahua Moitra.
"In 2023, I stood by Ms. Moitra when she was under fire in Parliament -- I did so out of conviction, not compulsion. Today, she repays that support by calling me a misogynist. I owe the nation an apology for having defended someone who clearly lacks basic gratitude. Let people see her words for what they are and judge accordingly," he said in the post on X.
The post was accompanied by a video of his defending Mahua Moitra after the Ethics Committee report was tabled in Lok Sabha in 2023 in the "cash-for-query" case. In his post, Banerjee also tagged the official BJP and Congress handles, which is unlikely to have gone well with the Trinamool leadership.
Earlier, on Monday, TMC chief and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee appointed MP Abhishek Banerjee as the leader of the party's parliamentary unit in the Lok Sabha.
"I convened a virtual meeting today with all@AITCofficialMPs from both the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha. Given that our Lok Sabha leader, Shri Sudip Bandyopadhyay, is unwell and undergoing medical treatment, the MPs have unanimously decided to entrust Shri Abhishek Banerjee with the responsibility of leading the party in the Lok Sabha as the leader of the party until Sudip da returns to good health," the West Bengal CM said in a post on X.
"We pray for Sudip da's swift recovery and look forward to his continued guidance, enriched by his experience and deep knowledge of parliamentary proceedings," she added.
Reacting to his appointment, Abhishek Banerjee expressed his gratitude in a post on X."I am deeply honoured by the trust reposed in me by our party chairperson Didi@MamataOfficialand my fellow MPs of the All India Trinamool Congress, in choosing me to lead our parliamentary party in the Lok Sabha," he said.
"With full commitment and humility, I take on this responsibility and pledge to work closely with all my colleagues to ensure that Trinamool's voice remains strong and unwavering in Parliament. Together, we will continue to resist the authoritarianism of the Union Government and defend the core values of our Constitution - JUSTICE, LIBERTY, EQUALITY AND FRATERNITY." "Our mission remains clear: To protect the rights, respect and aspirations of the people of Bengal. I thank every dedicated worker and supporter of the@AITCofficialfor their continued belief in me and our cause and I am also extremely grateful to our senior parliamentarians for their invaluable support, guidance and encouragement," he added.