All India Trinamool Congress (TMC) Chief Whip in the Lok Sabha Kalyan Banerjee on Thursday, 28 May flatly denied allegations of verbal abuse levelled against him by fellow TMC MP Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar, and announced he would write to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla urging him to grant the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) the long-pending sanction to prosecute Ghosh Dastidar in the Narada sting operation case. The escalating public spat signals a deepening factional fault line within the party's parliamentary unit.

The Allegations and the Rebuttal

Ghosh Dastidar had earlier on Thursday written to Speaker Birla seeking permission to file a formal complaint, accusing Banerjee of 'repeatedly verbally abusing' her inside the lower house and of showing disrespect to other TMC MPs. Banerjee dismissed the charges outright. 'All these are fake allegations, but she is using this to create a ground. She is angry because I have replaced her as Chief Whip,' he told reporters, attributing the complaint to personal grievance over her removal from the whip's position.

Banerjee also challenged Ghosh Dastidar to cite specific dates and occasions. 'Even though the allegations are fake, I am saying that if one makes such remarks in the Lok Sabha, the rule is to write to the Speaker at that time. Why did she not write then?' he said. He further questioned her attendance record, asking rhetorically when he could have made such remarks given her reported absence from the House.

Procedure and the Privilege Committee

Acknowledging the parliamentary process, Banerjee said that any genuine grievance of this nature must be reported to the Speaker immediately. 'If I have done something which is uncalled for and unethical, then the rule is to immediately inform the (Lok Sabha) Speaker. That will be decided by the Privilege Committee,' he said. He maintained, however, that complaint letters cannot be filed arbitrarily at a time of one's choosing.

On questions about similar allegations from other women MPs, Banerjee said he would respond only when those MPs themselves filed complaints, adding that Ghosh Dastidar's statement could not be treated as representative of other members.

The Narada Sting: Banerjee's Counter-Move

In a sharp counter-offensive, Banerjee invoked the Narada sting operation, first made public in 2016, in which Ghosh Dastidar was among several TMC figures allegedly filmed accepting cash. The CBI has sought prosecution sanction from the Lok Sabha Speaker against TMC MPs Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar, Saugata Roy, and Prasun Banerjee in connection with the case.

'I would write to the Speaker to provide the sanctions against her. She was caught taking ₹5 lakh bribe on camera. The CBI has conducted an investigation, and several Bengal Ministers have been previously arrested; then why would she be considered privileged? Why is the sanction not being given against her?' Banerjee said. He added: 'I am reiterating that she had taken ₹5 lakh as a bribe. Let her file as many defamation cases as she wants.'

Personal Jabs and Post-Poll Context

The confrontation also took a personal turn, with Banerjee accusing Ghosh Dastidar of looking down on leaders educated in West Bengal. 'I have studied in West Bengal, she has studied in London, that is why she considers me uneducated,' he said. He also remarked that several party leaders had shifted their positions following the West Bengal Assembly results on 4 May, a comment widely read as a reference to internal realignments after the polls.

This comes amid broader turbulence within TMC's Lok Sabha bloc, where the post-election period has reportedly sharpened pre-existing personal and factional rivalries. How Speaker Birla responds to both the privilege complaint and the long-pending CBI sanction request could determine the next flashpoint in this intra-party standoff.