Kalyan Banerjee protests in Parliament, labels 20 rebel TMC MPs 'traitors'
Synopsis
A suspended TMC MP turned Parliament's forecourt into a protest stage on 30 July, hanging placards of 20 rebel colleagues around his neck and calling them 'traitors' — while a defection petition filed five weeks ago has yet to produce any ruling. The episode lays bare a deep fracture inside the Trinamool Congress's Lok Sabha contingent, with the rebel bloc reportedly now aligned with the NDA.
Key Takeaways
Kalyan Banerjee , Trinamool Congress MP, staged a protest on Parliament premises on 30 July , wearing placards bearing photographs of 20 rebel TMC MPs .
He labelled the rebel lawmakers 'traitors', accusing them of betraying the mandate of the people of West Bengal .
Banerjee said at least 20 of the 28 TMC Lok Sabha members have broken away and formed a separate group under MP Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar , reportedly aligning with the NDA .
A defection petition has been filed but no action has been taken after five weeks , according to Banerjee.
Banerjee alleged his suspension from the ongoing Parliament session was politically motivated to silence his criticism of the rebel MPs.
Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra briefly engaged with Banerjee during the protest, prompting a candid exchange on TMC–Congress political history dating to 1997 .
Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Kalyan Banerjee staged a one-man protest on the Parliament premises on Thursday, 30 July, wearing placards bearing photographs of 20 rebel TMC lawmakers who have reportedly broken away from the party. Banerjee publicly labelled the dissident MPs as 'traitors', accusing them of betraying the electoral mandate granted by the people of West Bengal.
The Protest and What Banerjee Said
Standing near the Parliament complex with poster-boards hung around his neck — photographs of the rebel MPs printed on both sides — Banerjee made his grievances unambiguous. 'The people of this country will see them. The people of West Bengal will see the faces of these 20 traitors,' he said.
Banerjee also addressed his own suspension from the ongoing Parliament session, alleging the action was politically driven. 'I have been suspended because hearing my voice would cause discomfort to the 20 traitors present there. These allegations against me are false. I do not know what crime I have committed,' he said. He added that no hearing had been granted before the suspension: 'Whatever I have done, there has been no hearing. The Speaker has the power and is exercising it. It is okay.'
The Rebel Bloc and Defection Petition
According to Banerjee, at least 20 of the 28 Trinamool Congress members in the Lok Sabha have broken ranks and formed a separate group under the leadership of MP Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar. The rebel MPs have reportedly aligned themselves with the Nationalist Citizens Party of India (NCPI) and expressed support for the National Democratic Alliance (NDA).
The rebel group includes MPs Sudip Bandyopadhyay, Rachna Banerjee, Jagadish Chandra Barma, Partha Bhowmick, Arup Chakraborty, Deepak Adhikari, Sayani Ghosh, Bapi Haldar, Abu Taher Khan, Kalipada Saren Kherwal, Asit Kumar, and Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar, among others. Banerjee said a defection petition has already been filed but no action has been taken in five weeks. 'This should be treated as a case of defection. A defection petition has already been filed. It has been five weeks, yet nothing has happened. But then again, anything goes under BJP rule,' he said.
A Candid Exchange with Priyanka Gandhi
During the protest, Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra stopped to examine the placards around Banerjee's neck, sparking a brief but notable exchange. She asked whether the same photographs were printed on the reverse side; Banerjee confirmed they were. 'Turn around and show them,' she said, gesturing toward the assembled photojournalists. As Banerjee prepared to leave, he complimented Priyanka Gandhi on a speech she had delivered in Parliament the previous day. 'You spoke very well yesterday,' he said, giving her a thumbs-up. 'Thank you,' she replied.
TMC–Congress Political History Surfaces
The interaction broadened into a candid discussion on the political relationship between the Trinamool Congress and the Indian National Congress (INC). Priyanka Gandhi noted that some MPs had left the Congress, joined the TMC, and subsequently moved to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Banerjee pushed back, arguing that those individuals had originally won on TMC tickets and that Congress had little electoral footprint in Bengal at the time.
Banerjee also recalled his own Congress roots, having served as Vice President of the Youth Congress. He attributed the Congress's decline in Bengal directly to the party's treatment of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee: 'You people drove Mamata Banerjee away. Had that not happened, Congress would not be in its present condition. She was forced out in 1997.' Priyanka Gandhi responded that Mamata Banerjee had been treated with respect in the Congress, citing her late father: 'Rajiv Gandhi ji respected Mamata Banerjee ji a lot.' Banerjee agreed on that point but noted that the Congress later aligned with the Communist Party of India (Marxist) — the TMC's principal adversary in Bengal — which he said made any continued association untenable. Independent MP Pappu Yadav also briefly joined the exchange before the Congress MPs departed.
What Comes Next
The defection petition filed by the TMC remains pending before the Lok Sabha Speaker, with no ruling issued after five weeks. The political future of the 20 rebel MPs — and the fate of the anti-defection case — is likely to remain a flashpoint in Parliament as the session continues.
Point of View
Both of which benefit the rebel bloc as it consolidates its alignment with the NDA. The TMC's Bengal dominance has not translated into parliamentary cohesion, and the Kalyan Banerjee episode makes that contradiction impossible to ignore. The brief but pointed exchange with Priyanka Gandhi also surfaces a deeper irony — two opposition figures relitigating a 1997 split while the ruling alliance quietly absorbs the beneficiaries.
NationPress
30 Jul 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
Why did Kalyan Banerjee protest in Parliament on 30 July?
Kalyan Banerjee staged the protest to publicly denounce 20 rebel Trinamool Congress MPs who have reportedly broken away from the party and aligned with the NDA. He wore placards bearing photographs of the dissident lawmakers, calling them 'traitors' who had betrayed the mandate of West Bengal voters.
Who are the rebel TMC MPs Kalyan Banerjee called traitors?
The rebel group reportedly includes MPs Sudip Bandyopadhyay, Rachna Banerjee, Jagadish Chandra Barma, Partha Bhowmick, Arup Chakraborty, Deepak Adhikari, Sayani Ghosh, Bapi Haldar, Abu Taher Khan, Kalipada Saren Kherwal, Asit Kumar, and Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar, among others. According to Banerjee, at least 20 of the 28 TMC Lok Sabha members have formed a separate group under Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar's leadership.
Why was Kalyan Banerjee suspended from the Parliament session?
Banerjee alleged his suspension was politically motivated, claiming it was intended to silence his criticism of the 20 rebel TMC MPs. He maintained that no formal hearing was held before the action was taken, though he acknowledged that the Speaker has the authority to suspend members.
What is the status of the defection petition against the rebel TMC MPs?
According to Banerjee, a defection petition has been filed before the Lok Sabha Speaker but no ruling has been issued even after five weeks. He criticised the delay, saying the case should be treated as a clear instance of defection under anti-defection law.
What did Kalyan Banerjee and Priyanka Gandhi discuss during the protest?
Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra stopped to examine Banerjee's protest placards, leading to a brief exchange that expanded into a discussion on the political history between the Congress and the Trinamool Congress. Topics included the departure of certain MPs between parties and the circumstances surrounding Mamata Banerjee's exit from the Congress in 1997, which Kalyan Banerjee cited as the root cause of Congress's decline in West Bengal.
