‘She Broke a 40-Year Marriage’: TMC’s Kalyan Banerjee’s Personal Attack on Mahua Moitra Amid Rape Remark Row
The bitter public feud between Trinamool Congress (TMC) MPs Kalyan Banerjee and Mahua Moitra has escalated dramatically, with Banerjee launching a deeply personal attack on Moitra’s recent marriage, calling her “the most anti-woman.” This comes after Moitra slammed his controversial “survivor-shaming” remarks regarding the gang rape of a Kolkata law student.
The infighting erupted after Kalyan Banerjee, the TMC’s Serampore MP, reacted to the horrific rape case by questioning who a woman socialises with. In response, Moitra, without naming him, criticised the party for not unequivocally condemning such misogynistic statements. An incensed Banerjee then hit back, targeting Moitra’s personal life.
“Mahua has come back to India after her honeymoon and started fighting with me! She accuses me of being anti-woman, but what is she? She has broken up a 40-year marriage and married a guy who is 65 years old. Did she not hurt the lady?” Banerjee questioned, referring to Moitra’s marriage to former BJD MP Pinaki Misra.
“An MP who was expelled from parliament for breach of ethics is preaching to me! She is the most anti-woman. She only knows how to secure her future and how to make money,” he added.
The latest war of words is rooted in Banerjee’s comments on the Kolkata rape case. He had made a remark widely condemned as insensitive, saying, “Those who are roaming around with such people should understand whom they are accompanying.” This blatant case of survivor-shaming prompted a swift response from Moitra.
While the TMC officially distanced itself from Banerjee’s remarks, stating they were made in a “personal capacity,” Moitra reposted the party’s statement on X (formerly Twitter) and added, “Misogyny in India cuts across party lines. What differentiates @AITCofficial is that we condemn these disgusting comments no matter who makes them.”
This public clash is not the first between the two parliamentarians. Barely three months ago, on April 4, 2025, the two were involved in a heated altercation at the Election Commission of India’s office in New Delhi. Sources reported that the spat, allegedly over Moitra’s name being omitted from a party memorandum, escalated to the point where Moitra purportedly asked security to “arrest him.”
The details of that incident became public after a WhatsApp chat between Kalyan Banerjee and another party MP, Kirti Azad, was leaked. In the chat, Banerjee allegedly referred to Moitra as a “versatile international lady,” a comment seen as a veiled insult. The continued and increasingly personal nature of their conflict exposes deep fissures within the Bengal-based party.
