The Bharatiya Janata Party on Tuesday posted private WhatsApp chats between two Trinamool Congress MPs – Kalyan Banerjee and Kirti Azad – that seem to show them squabbling over divisions within Bengal’s ruling party and referring to the “beautiful activities of (a) versatile international lady”.
Responding to the leaks on behalf of the Trinamool – under fire as it preps for next year’s high-stakes Assembly election – veteran leader Sougata Roy said, “The screenshots which have been published have put us to shame and embarrassment. This should not have happened…”
“Every party should maintain internal privacy,” he said, urging Ms Banerjee to act.
Screenshots of the WhatsApp messages were posted on X by the BJP’s Amit Malviya.
It also includes Mr Banerjee – who also made headlines for smashing a glass bottle on the table during a meeting on the Waqf Amendment Bill – apparently congratulating the “gentleman who opened the beautiful activities of versatile international lady”, declaring, “Not a single boyfriend stood with her”.
He also attacked Mr Azad, a former India cricketer. “… you (Mr Azad) were thrown out of BJP for doing internal politics… you are still captain of internal politics,” he declared.
The “versatile international lady” in question is reportedly also a Trinamool MP.
Accompanying the post was a claim from the BJP leader – that the alleged Banerjee-Azad squabble began after a Trinamool MP carrying a memorandum for the Election Commission skipped instructions, that all MPs gather at Parliament, and went solo to the EC’s Delhi office.
“This angered another MP… who confronted him when they came face-to-face at the Election Commission. A heated exchange followed… with the two shouting at each other…”
“So much so that one of them asked police personnel present to intervene,” he claimed.
“The matter escalated quickly and reached (Chief Minister) Mamata Banerjee, who reportedly asked both MPs to stand down. But the feud… spilled over into the ‘AITC MP 2024’ WhatsApp group, where warring camps took sides and traded barbs,” Mr Malviya posted on X.
“… the question still lingers: who exactly is the ‘versatile international lady’?”
