By :- Shruti Tiwari Political tensions are rising in West Bengal after TMC MP Kalyan Banerjee made a controversial personal attack on fellow party leader Mahua Moitra, amid public outrage over the alleged gangrape of a female law student at South Kolkata Law College.
The comments have drawn sharp criticism from across the political spectrum, and even more significantly, from within the Trinamool Congress itself. The party has publicly distanced itself from the statements made by its own leaders.
The Controversial Comment
Kalyan Banerjee, MP from Serampore, lashed out at Mahua Moitra for criticizing his earlier remarks on the gangrape case. In a personal and highly inappropriate statement, he said:
“She [Mahua Moitra] broke a 40-year-long marriage and married a 65-year-old man. Is this not an insult to women? Let the women of this country decide.”
Banerjee’s remarks were in response to Mahua Moitra accusing him of being “misogynistic” and “anti-women” after he allegedly downplayed the gangrape incident by suggesting such acts are committed by a few men and that they cannot be entirely prevented.
Moitra Hits Back
Mahua Moitra, MP from Krishnanagar, responded strongly, calling out Banerjee’s statements as deeply sexist and regressive. She emphasized that misogyny is not confined to any single political party but must be condemned universally. Moitra further accused some TMC leaders of attempting to shield those linked to the incident.
“Hatred against women exists across political parties. But in TMC, we condemn such disgraceful comments publicly,” she wrote on X (formerly Twitter).
TMC Distances Itself from Remarks
The Trinamool Congress issued a formal statement clarifying that the comments made by Kalyan Banerjee and MLA Madan Mitra (who also made controversial remarks about victim behavior) do not reflect the party’s official position.
“The views expressed by Kalyan Banerjee and Madan Mitra are made in their personal capacity. TMC strongly condemns these statements and distances itself from them,” the party stated via social media.
Background: Gangrape at Law College
The incident that sparked the controversy took place on the campus of South Kolkata Law College in Kasba. A female student was allegedly gangraped by three individuals—two current students and one former student, identified as Manojit Mishra. An FIR was filed on June 26, and all three accused have been arrested by the Kolkata Police.
Banerjee’s Original Statement
In his earlier response to the incident, Kalyan Banerjee had said:
“If a friend rapes a friend, what can be done? Should we post police officers in every school? Some men do these things. Women should fight against these perverted men.”
He refused to comment on whether the main accused had any connection to the TMC.
Madan Mitra Adds Fuel to Fire
TMC MLA Madan Mitra also faced criticism for victim-blaming, stating that students should not respond to post-college invitations motivated by positional advantage. The BJP labeled these comments as “shameful” and “an attempt to blame the victim.”
Opposition Reacts
BJP’s Amit Malviya condemned the remarks, calling them “deeply disturbing” and an example of how certain leaders deflect blame from perpetrators to victims. He accused the TMC of failing to protect women and promoting misogynistic narratives.
