'Laapata Ladies': BJP's Bhandari mocks missing TMC women voices post-poll
Synopsis
BJP spokesperson Pradeep Bhandari turned a Bollywood title into a political weapon, branding TMC's most vocal women MPs — Mahua Moitra, Saayoni Ghosh, Menaka Guruswamy and Sagarika Ghosh — as 'Laapata Ladies' in a viral X meme. The jab lands as Mamata Banerjee's party reels from its West Bengal poll setback.
Key Takeaways
BJP national spokesperson Pradeep Bhandari posted a 'Laapata Ladies' meme on X on 3 June .
The poster named Mahua Moitra , Saayoni Ghosh , Menaka Guruswamy and Sagarika Ghosh — each tagged 'missing'.
The jab follows TMC's defeat in the West Bengal Assembly election and reports of MLAs and MPs staying out of public view.
Menaka Guruswamy , nominated to the Rajya Sabha , is India's first openly queer MP.
The meme borrows from the Hindi film Laapataa Ladies about two swapped brides.
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) national spokesperson Pradeep Bhandari on Wednesday, 3 June took a sharp jab at the Trinamool Congress (TMC) through a satirical meme on social media platform X, questioning the conspicuous silence of the party's most vocal women representatives following its setback in the West Bengal Assembly election. The post, styled as a film poster titled “Laapata Ladies”, featured four prominent TMC women parliamentarians and carried the caption “NOW YOU SEE ME, NOW YOU DON'T!”.
Who featured in the meme
The poster carried photographs of Lok Sabha MPs Mahua Moitra and Saayoni Ghosh, alongside their Rajya Sabha colleagues Menaka Guruswamy and Sagarika Ghosh — each image stamped with the word “missing”. The four have been among the TMC's sharpest public defenders in recent years, frequently leading the party's charge against the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA) and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The political backdrop
Bhandari's swipe lands at a moment when, according to reports, several TMC MLAs and MPs have remained out of public view since the party's electoral reverse in West Bengal, with Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee facing one of the most testing phases of her political career. Critics within the BJP argue that the silence of TMC's most articulate women voices is telling, given how vocally they had defended the party during its years in power.
Profiles of the four named
Moitra and Sagarika Ghosh are widely recognised for their pointed parliamentary interventions and combative public commentary. Saayoni Ghosh, the film actor-turned-MP, has built a reputation for forceful advocacy and her fluency across English, Bengali and Hindi.
Senior Advocate Menaka Guruswamy drew national attention earlier this year when a clip from a Calcutta High Court hearing went viral. In the video, tied to a case involving the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and the then TMC-led state government, Guruswamy was heard asking Additional Solicitor General S.V. Raju to mute himself and to show respect to then Chief Minister Banerjee. She was subsequently nominated to the Rajya Sabha, becoming the first openly queer MP in India's history.
The cultural reference
Bhandari's meme leans on the title of the popular Hindi comedy-drama Laapataa Ladies, in which two newlywed brides are accidentally swapped during a train journey to their in-laws' homes. The visual framing transforms a film about mistaken identity into a political dig about absent voices.
What to watch next
Whether the four named leaders respond publicly — and whether the wider TMC mounts a coordinated counter — will indicate how the party intends to navigate its post-election narrative. For the BJP, the meme is part of a broader effort to keep pressure on a weakened rival in West Bengal.
Point of View
TMC's women parliamentarians were among the most effective communicators against the BJP in national media — articulate, multilingual, telegenic. Their reported silence at the party's weakest hour exposes a structural truth about Indian opposition politics: vocal defenders thrive when their leader is ascendant and recede when the tide turns. Whether this is strategic regrouping or quiet distancing will shape TMC's next chapter more than any meme.
NationPress
10 Aug 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the 'Laapata Ladies' meme posted by Pradeep Bhandari?
It is a satirical poster shared by BJP national spokesperson Pradeep Bhandari on X on 3 June, styled after the Hindi film 'Laapataa Ladies'. The meme features four prominent TMC women parliamentarians — Mahua Moitra, Saayoni Ghosh, Menaka Guruswamy and Sagarika Ghosh — each tagged 'missing', with the caption 'NOW YOU SEE ME, NOW YOU DON'T!'.
Why is the BJP targeting TMC women MPs now?
The post follows TMC's defeat in the West Bengal Assembly election, after which several party MLAs and MPs have reportedly been out of public view. The BJP argues that women representatives who were previously vocal in defending Mamata Banerjee and attacking the NDA have gone quiet at the party's most vulnerable moment.
Who is Menaka Guruswamy and why was she named?
Menaka Guruswamy is a Senior Advocate and TMC Rajya Sabha MP, and India's first openly queer parliamentarian. She drew attention earlier this year for a viral Calcutta High Court exchange with Additional Solicitor General S.V. Raju in an ED-related case involving the then West Bengal government.
What film is the meme referencing?
The meme references 'Laapataa Ladies', a popular Hindi comedy-drama in which two newlywed brides are accidentally swapped while travelling by train to their in-laws' homes. Bhandari repurposed the title to suggest TMC's vocal women representatives have similarly gone missing from public discourse.
Have the named TMC MPs responded?
There is no public response from Mahua Moitra, Saayoni Ghosh, Menaka Guruswamy or Sagarika Ghosh on the meme as of reporting. Any reaction is likely to shape how the wider TMC counters the BJP's post-election messaging.
