Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar writes to Om Birla against Kalyan Banerjee over verbal abuse
Synopsis
A four-term TMC MP has written to the Lok Sabha Speaker alleging repeated verbal abuse by her own party's Chief Whip inside Parliament — just a day after resigning from all party posts. The complaint, citing misogyny against multiple women MPs, puts the Trinamool Congress in an uncomfortable spotlight and raises questions about how Mamata Banerjee handles dissent from within.
Key Takeaways
Dr Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar , four-term TMC MP from Barasat , wrote to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Thursday, 29 May 2025 alleging verbal abuse by Kalyan Banerjee .
She accused Banerjee of 'misogyny' directed at multiple women MPs inside the Lok Sabha and sought disciplinary action.
The letter came one day after she resigned from all TMC organisational posts, including district president of Barasat .
The dispute reportedly began after Mamata Banerjee replaced Ghosh Dastidar with Kalyan Banerjee as TMC's Chief Whip in the Lok Sabha .
Ghosh Dastidar clarified she would continue as an ordinary TMC member despite her resignations.
All India Trinamool Congress (TMC) Lok Sabha member Dr Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar on Thursday, 29 May 2025, wrote to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla seeking permission to file a formal complaint against Kalyan Banerjee, the party's Chief Whip in the Lower House, alleging repeated verbal abuse inside Parliament. The letter marks a sharp escalation in an intra-party dispute that has been simmering since the West Bengal Assembly election results.
What Ghosh Dastidar Alleged
In her letter to the Speaker, Ghosh Dastidar — a four-term MP from Barasat in North 24 Parganas and a medical practitioner — accused Banerjee of misconduct within the Lok Sabha premises and of showing disrespect towards fellow Trinamool Congress members, particularly women MPs.
'I seek your permission to lodge a formal complaint to you for redressal against Lok Sabha member of AITC Kalyan Banerjee, who has repeatedly verbally abused me inside the Lok Sabha. This misogyny has been against many lady members and needs to be punished,' she wrote in the letter.
She has sought necessary disciplinary action against Banerjee for the alleged misconduct.
A Day After Resignation from Party Posts
The complaint letter came just one day after Ghosh Dastidar tendered her resignation from all organisational positions in the Trinamool Congress with immediate effect on Wednesday. In that resignation letter, submitted to TMC West Bengal state president Subrata Bakshi, she had also taken an indirect swipe at Banerjee without naming him directly.
'There is no point in holding a post when the indecent behaviour of another uneducated, rude party MP towards a woman MP cannot be stopped, and the cooperation and sympathy of the senior leadership of the party cannot be obtained,' she wrote in the resignation letter, according to reports.
Notably, she clarified in the same letter that she would continue as an ordinary member of the Trinamool Congress — signalling dissent within the fold rather than an outright break.
The Root of the Rift
The friction between Ghosh Dastidar and the party leadership reportedly intensified after TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee replaced her with Kalyan Banerjee as the party's Chief Whip in the Lok Sabha, following the declaration of the West Bengal Assembly election results. Ghosh Dastidar had also resigned from the post of Trinamool's organisational district president for Barasat constituency, a seat she has held for four consecutive terms since 2009.
Her anguish had surfaced earlier on social media as well. 'Known her since 76, started the journey in 84. Today I am rewarded for four decades of loyalty,' she had posted — a remark widely read as a veiled rebuke of the party leadership's decision.
Significance and What Comes Next
The episode is significant for multiple reasons. It is rare for a sitting MP to write to the Lok Sabha Speaker seeking disciplinary action against a colleague from the same party. Both Ghosh Dastidar and Kalyan Banerjee are four-term MPs, lending the dispute considerable political weight within the TMC's parliamentary group.
The Lok Sabha Speaker's office is now expected to review the complaint and determine whether it warrants a formal inquiry under parliamentary rules of conduct. How the TMC leadership — and Mamata Banerjee in particular — responds will be closely watched, given the party's public positioning on women's rights and dignity.
Point of View
And a formal parliamentary complaint about gender-based verbal abuse by its own Chief Whip cuts against that brand. The timing, one day after a public resignation from party posts, suggests a deliberate strategy to maximise pressure. The bigger question is whether other women MPs in the TMC share her experience — and whether they will now feel emboldened to speak.
NationPress
13 Jul 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
What did Dr Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar allege in her letter to the Lok Sabha Speaker?
She alleged that TMC Chief Whip Kalyan Banerjee had repeatedly verbally abused her inside the Lok Sabha and that such misogyny had been directed at multiple women MPs. She sought the Speaker's permission to file a formal complaint and requested disciplinary action against Banerjee.
Why did Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar resign from TMC organisational posts?
Ghosh Dastidar resigned from all TMC organisational positions on Wednesday, citing the inability to stop what she described as indecent behaviour by a fellow party MP towards a woman MP, and a lack of support from the party's senior leadership. She retained her membership as an ordinary TMC member.
What triggered the rift between Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar and TMC leadership?
The rift reportedly began after TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee replaced Ghosh Dastidar with Kalyan Banerjee as the party's Chief Whip in the Lok Sabha following the West Bengal Assembly election results. Ghosh Dastidar had been a four-term MP and held the Chief Whip role before the reshuffle.
Who is Kalyan Banerjee and what is his position in the TMC?
Kalyan Banerjee is a four-term Trinamool Congress Lok Sabha member who was recently appointed as the party's Chief Whip in the Lower House, replacing Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar. He is a senior figure in the TMC's parliamentary group.
What happens next after the complaint to Om Birla?
The Lok Sabha Speaker's office is expected to review the complaint and decide whether it warrants a formal inquiry under parliamentary rules of conduct. The TMC leadership's response to the complaint will also be closely watched given the party's stated positions on women's rights.
