Don't wrestle with a pig: Mahua Moitra hits back at Kalyan Banerjee in escalating TMC feud
Kolkata: A simmering internal feud within the Trinamool Congress (TMC) has exploded into a full-blown public confrontation, with MP Mahua Moitra referring to fellow party leader and senior parliamentarian Kalyan Banerjee using a scathing metaphor that likened him to a pig. The sharp remark, made during a podcast with India Today, is the latest flashpoint in a series of escalating clashes between the two leaders, highlighting deepening factionalism within the West Bengal-based party.
"You don't wrestle with a pig. Because the pig likes it and you get dirty," Moitra said during the interview, in clear reference to Banerjee. The comment came in response to Banerjee’s recent personal attacks on her marriage to former BJD MP and senior advocate Pinaki Misra.
Tensions between the two leaders intensified in June following a gang-rape case at a Kolkata law college, in which the accused were allegedly linked to the TMC’s student wing. Kalyan Banerjee made a controversial comment on the matter, saying, “What can be done if a friend rapes a friend?” The party officially condemned the remark as “insensitive,” and Moitra amplified that condemnation, criticizing what she termed the “misogyny” within Indian politics.
In retaliation, Banerjee launched a deeply personal attack: “She is saying I am anti-women. What is she? She has broken up a family of 40 years and married a 65-year-old guy. The women of the country will decide.”
Moitra hit back during the podcast, stating, “There are deeply misogynistic, sexually frustrated, depraved men in India, and they have their representation in Parliament across all parties.” She also called the silence of West Bengal Chief Minister and TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee “unfortunate,” though she expressed hope that the leadership would act in time.
Their animosity predates the recent controversy. Earlier this year, the two clashed inside Parliament over what initially appeared to be a trivial issue, Banerjee’s dramatic endorsement of a Bengali sweet shop during a Lok Sabha session. Moitra objected, questioning whether parliamentary time should be used for such theatrics.
In April 2025, another confrontation occurred at the Election Commission's Delhi office during the submission of a TMC memorandum. Moitra reportedly objected to her name being omitted and confronted Banerjee, leading to a verbal altercation. Witnesses claim Moitra asked security to remove Banerjee for using offensive language.
That altercation had wider consequences. Banerjee lashed out at other party leaders, accusing MP Kirti Azad of leaking internal discussions to the BJP and labelling veteran MP Saugata Roy a “thief of Narada,” referencing the 2016 bribery sting operation.
Saugata Roy rebuked Banerjee’s remarks, saying, “He is in the habit of making deprecating statements, particularly against women,” and noted that several MPs wanted him removed as the party’s Chief Whip in the Lok Sabha.
Despite the controversies, Kalyan Banerjee, four-time MP and long-time legal advisor to Mamata Banerjee, continues to enjoy the protection of the top leadership. The party issued a showcause notice to MLA Madan Mitra over similar controversial remarks on the rape case but has not taken any public action against Banerjee.
Moitra, who commands national media attention and represents the party’s progressive face, has increasingly found herself at odds with the party’s old guard.
With West Bengal Assembly elections on the horizon in 2026, the TMC leadership now faces mounting pressure to intervene decisively.
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Hospital wall collapse: CM orders suspension of executive engineer; kin of victims get solatium
Bengaluru (PTI): Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Thursday ordered the immediate suspension of an executive engineer for the Bowring and Lady Curzon Hospital wall collapse that claimed the lives of seven people, during a high-level review meeting at Vidhana Soudha.
A compensation of Rs 5 lakh, as announced by the CM Siddaramaiah, was distributed to the families of seven victims who lost their lives in the tragedy on Wednesday evening, which occurred due to heavy downpour with gusty winds and hailstorm.
The meeting of municipal commissioners of the five corporations, chaired by the chief minister and attended by Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar, focused on fixing accountability and examining lapses that led to the tragedy.
"Why was soil dumped in a way that damaged the wall? Why did you not monitor this?" Siddaramaiah asked, pulling up hospital authorities during the meeting.
A statement from the chief minister's office said that the CM ordered the immediate suspension of the executive engineer of the Karnataka Health Systems Development Project (KHSDP).
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He also questioned the hospital authorities, asking why they failed to monitor the dumping of soil that weakened the structure.
The chief minister directed that a notice be issued to the head of the Hospital.
During the meeting, Siddaramaiah said the rains had caused extensive damage in the city, with over 250 trees uprooted.
The Chief Minister instructed officials to take necessary measures before the onset of the monsoon to avoid untoward incidents.
Commissioners of all five municipal zones in Bengaluru have been asked to take precautionary steps, including trimming dry and dangerous tree branches, the CMO said.
Siddaramaiah also directed them to get the silt cleared from stormwater drains to prevent flooding, and that immediate action be taken to remove debris and fallen branches from roads.
Further, he instructed that barricades be placed at underpasses where water stagnates and restricts public movement.
The Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA) Chief Commissioner M Maheshwar Rao said in a statement that Shivajinagar MLA Rizwan Arshad distributed compensation cheques of Rs 5 lakh each to the families of the deceased on Thursday.
Seven people, including a six-year-old girl, were killed and seven others injured when the compound wall collapsed amid heavy rain, strong winds and a hailstorm on Wednesday evening.
Police said the victims, comprising three from Bengaluru, two from Kerala on a study tour and one each from Uttar Pradesh and Assam, had taken shelter near the wall when it suddenly gave way, trapping them under the debris.
The chief minister questioned officials over the dumping of soil near the wall despite knowing it could weaken the structure, and directed that a notice be issued to the head of Bowring Hospital.
Siddaramaiah, who had visited the spot soon after the incident along with senior officials, reviewed the situation and ordered a detailed probe into the collapse.
