Kolkata | Leader of the Trinamool Congress’s rebel faction in Lok Sabha, Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar, has written to Speaker Om Birla seeking expulsion of Mamata Banerjee loyalist, Kalyan Banerjee, on grounds of “repeated verbal abuse, misogynistic comments and misconduct” within the precincts of the Lower House.
Ghosh Dastidar’s letter demanding Kalyan Banerjee’s expulsion was written as a follow-up to a complaint against the Sreerampur MP on May 28 and amid the acrimonious rift within the party, with the advocate slamming the dissident parliamentarians and daring them to “contest on BJP ticket if (they) have courage”.
Banerjee, though, dismissed Ghosh Dastidar’s allegations, calling them “false, fabricated and made as an afterthought”.
“On several occasions, Mr Kalyan Banerjee has used objectionable, disrespectful and inappropriate language against me and other women members during the sittings and proceedings of the House. Such conduct is unbecoming of a Member of Parliament and undermines the dignity, decorum and standards of parliamentary debate expected from elected representatives,” the letter, seeking the Speaker’s intervention, stated.
Ghosh Dastidar alleged in the letter, which is dated June 10 but surfaced on Monday, that the “objectionable conduct” was not “an isolated event”, but a “recurring pattern of behaviour”.
She accused Banerjee of resorting to personal attacks, intimidation and misogynistic comments directed at her.
“Such behaviour goes beyond the limits of robust political disagreement or parliamentary debate and enters the realm of personal abuse and harassment. The conduct has not only caused personal anguish but has also created an atmosphere that discourages the free participation of women in parliamentary proceedings,” the dissident TMC MP from Barasat seat wrote in the letter.
Ghosh Dastidar referred to Article 105 of the Constitution, stating that the privileges of the freedom of speech enjoyed by the MPs are intended to facilitate fearless participation in parliamentary proceedings and discharge of legislative functions.
“Those privileges cannot be construed as conferring a license to engage in personal abuse, harassment, intimidation or conduct that undermines the dignity of fellow members. The conduct complained of herein therefore warrants appropriate consideration and action under the Rules and established parliamentary practice,” she said.
Ghosh Dastidar urged the Speaker to take cognisance of the “repeated verbal abuse and misconduct” of Banerjee and appealed for “imposition of… punishment or disciplinary action as may be considered appropriate by the House, including immediate expulsion…”.
On Sunday, Ghosh Dastidar led a group of 20 rebel TMC MPs in the Lok Sabha and met the Lok Sabha Speaker seeking a separate seating arrangement in the House, while announcing the bloc’s merger with the little-known Nationalist Citizens Party of India (NCPI).
Speaking to reporters after the meeting with Birla, Ghosh Dastidar said all 20 TMC MPs had signed a representation submitted to the Speaker.
Calling the allegations vague and an attempt to politically malign him, Banerjee questioned the timing of the complaint.
“When did I exactly abuse her? She called me a ‘repeated offender’. So, she must specify whether I did this during the tenure of the 15th, 16th or 17th Lok Sabha? Or was it during the 18th Lok Sabha?" the Sreerampur MP said.
"Such allegations must be made during a stipulated time frame, except, maybe, for criminal offences where a crime may come to light later. But for an allegation such as this, why was the complaint not made before?” he said.
Banerjee alleged that Ghosh Dastidar began “maintaining distance” from the Trinamool since May 6, the day she was removed from the position of the party’s chief whip in Lok Sabha and replaced by the Sreerampur MP.
He hinted that the Barasat MP came up with the idea of galvanising the rebel bloc, which has now announced its merger with the NCPI, and the subsequent move to target Kalyan Banerjee only after the Mamata Banerjee-led TMC suffered a humiliating defeat at the hands of the BJP when the assembly poll results were declared on May 4.
“She said nothing about this when she was a part of the TMC. She has done this to target me politically,” Kalyan maintained.
Asked whether he would send a written response to the Speaker, Kalyan answered in the negative.
“Why should I respond when the Speaker has not asked for any response? It’s his prerogative, and I will decide about it if he ever seeks a response from me. I have only answered your questions because you asked them,” he told this correspondent.
