NEW DELHI: BJP IT cell chief Amit Malviya on Tuesday flagged an alleged public altercation between Trinamool Congress MPs Kalyan Banerjee and Kirti Azad – a former cricketer – at the Election Commission headquarters on April 4. He also claimed that tensions also spilled over onto a party WhatsApp group, with a cryptic reference to a “versatile international lady” fuelling the drama.
Taking to X, Malviya wrote that the two TMC MPs had a heated exchange at the ECI office, where they had gone to submit a memorandum. According to him, “It appears the party had instructed its MPs to gather at the Parliament office to sign the memorandum before proceeding to the EC. However, the MP carrying the memorandum skipped the Parliament meeting and went directly to the EC.”
This reportedly irked the other MP, leading to a loud verbal confrontation that required “police intervention.”
The matter, Malviya claimed, escalated to West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee, who instructed both MPs to stand down.
However, the episode didn’t end there. Screenshots posted by Malviya, allegedly from the ‘AITC MP 2024’ WhatsApp group, show that the feud continued online, with TMC leaders taking sides and trading accusations.
The alleged WhatsApp exchange between TMC MPs Kalyan Banerjee and Kirti Azad, shared by BJP’s Amit Malviya, shows a personal turn in their growing spat. Banerjee appeared to take a veiled dig at Azad, writing:
“Today I Congratulate the gentleman who opened the beautiful activities of versatile international lady. That day not a single boyfriend of her stood behind her. This foolish man whom she wanted to arrested by BSF, stood behind her. Today of course 30 years famous player stood behind her to get me arrested.”
Azad, in his purported response, said: “Take it easy Kalyan. You have had one too many. Don’t act like a juvenile delinquent. You have been entrusted with a very serious responsibility by Didi to everyone along with you. So relax, have a nice sleep. I have no axe to grind with you. I humbly request you as a senior in age to me, not in politics to kindly take everyone together. Stop your childish and erratic behivour. Act like an adult. Don’t instigate anybody. Think with the cool mind. Good night.”
“In the middle of it all,” Malviya wrote, “the question still lingers: who exactly is the ‘versatile international lady’? That mystery is one for the world to unravel.”