In a fresh embarrassment to the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) in West Bengal, Lok Sabha MP Kalyan Banerjee on Saturday called party colleague Mahua Moitra "below standard" and a "waste of time" - remarks that are likely to escalate an ongoing prolonged feud between the two leaders.
Mr Kalyan, a four-time Member of Parliament who recently resigned as Trinamool's chief whip in the Lok Sabha amid signs of internal rumblings, also claimed he appeared as the "bad person" to several party colleagues because of Ms Moitra and said she is not worth his time or attention.
"The lady (Ms Moitra) is not my subject matter.. She is very below the standard. There is no point discussing her. I have become bad to several people because of her," he told reporters in his constituency Srirampur.
"It was a waste of time, I wasted my energy. She doesn't deserve my attention. It was my mistake that I gave her attention," he added.
He also thanked a junior advocate who reportedly texted him over the ongoing row between the two Trinamool MPs. "I have a junior advocate brother. He texted me. I was inspired by that and realised that Mahua Moitra is no longer a subject matter for me. I have a lot of work to do now," he said.
There was no immediate reaction from Ms Moitra on the remarks at the time of filing this report.
Mr Kalyan has had frequent run-ins with Ms Moitra, a Lok Sabha MP from Krishnanagar, causing considerable embarrassment to the party leadership, according to sources. Both of them have accused each other of abusing and having disregard for basic norms of civil discourse.
The party leader, however, regretted his statements against party supremo and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.
"I have also spoken against didi (Mamata Banerjee). I think it would have been better if I had not said this," Mr Kalyan said.
Asked if he spoke to the Chief Minister on the occasion of Raksha Bandhan, he said: "Didi blessed me. Not once, but thrice".
On July 4, Mr Kalyan resigned as the Trinamool's chief whip in the Lok Sabha, alleging that he was being blamed unfairly for lack of coordination among MPs even as some barely attend Parliament. In an emotional outburst, Mr Kalyan said he was deeply hurt by the party's silence over "insults" hurled at him by a fellow MP, an apparent reference to Ms Mahua.
The move came hours after a virtual meeting of Trinamool MPs chaired by Ms Mamata, where she reportedly expressed her displeasure over poor coordination in the party's parliamentary wing.
While Mr Kalyan Banerjee claimed he resigned voluntarily, he reportedly told his close associates he was being made a scapegoat, especially after months of tension with Ms Mahua Moitra and earlier, with former cricketer and Trinamool MP Kirti Azad.
Mr Kalyan and Ms Moitra went toe-to-toe after the former made alleged offensive comments when asked about the possibility of deployment of police inside schools.
(With inputs from Bholanatha Saha in Hooghly)
