Kolkata, Jul 21 (PTI): TMC MP Kalyan Banerjee left the Mamata Banerjee faction’s Martyrs Day rally on Tuesday immediately after his nearly 23-minute speech amid reports of a verbal exchange with the party supremo for exceeding the time allotted to him and later said he was “extremely hurt” over the episode.
According to sources in the Mamata Banerjee camp, the list of speakers at the rally near Birla Planetarium was unusually long, and all leaders had been instructed to keep their speeches brief so that everyone could be accommodated.
Kalyan Banerjee, however, spoke for around 22-and-a-half minutes, launching a blistering attack on the BJP as well as the breakaway Trinamool faction led by Leader of Opposition in the Assembly Ritabrata Banerjee.
“Mamata Banerjee alone is the Trinamool. The BJP-backed stage has been set up there, but the workers are not with them. Those BJP-sponsored MLAs dreaming of taking over are only digging their own grave,” he said.
Sources present on the dais claimed that Mamata Banerjee, who arrived while Kalyan Banerjee was addressing the gathering, gestured to him to conclude his speech. When he continued, senior party leader Kunal Ghosh also signalled him to wrap up, they said.
After the speech ended, Mamata Banerjee allegedly expressed her displeasure over the delay, leading to a brief exchange of words before the MP left the stage without waiting for the speeches of party national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee or the TMC chief.
Eyewitnesses on the dais said Kalyan Banerjee was also seen arguing with the party supremo before leaving the venue.
Rejecting suggestions that he had spoken beyond the allotted time, the Serampore MP said, “I did not exceed my time..
“While I was speaking, Abhishek Banerjee entered the stage, so I had to stop. Then Didi entered, and I again paused my speech. I never exceeded my time. But I don’t deserve such humiliation. I am extremely hurt by such behaviour. I am fighting so hard for the party when all others have left. I don’t deserve this,” he told PTI.
Asked whether he has spoken to Mamata Banerjee after the episode, he replied in the negative.
To a question whether the incident could prompt him to leave the Mamata Banerjee camp, he retorted, “What sort of question is this?.
Sources in the Mamata Banerjee camp said the delay forced organisers to drop several scheduled speakers from the programme, including Lok Sabha MPs Mahua Moitra and Kirti Azad, Rajya Sabha MPs Dola Sen and Sagarika Ghose, and Rajeev Kumar.
The Trinamool Congress did not issue any official statement on the episode.
The development assumes significance as Kalyan Banerjee is among the few senior leaders who have remained steadfastly with Mamata Banerjee after the Trinamool split following the BJP’s victory in the 2026 West Bengal Assembly elections.
As several prominent former loyalists, including Firhad Hakim, Mala Roy and Chandrima Bhattacharya, shifted to the rival faction led by Ritabrata Banerjee, Kalyan Banerjee continued to be counted among Mamata Banerjee’s closest political confidants, frequently attending meetings at her residence and emerging as one of the strongest public voices against the rebels.
The outspoken MP has repeatedly accused the breakaway camp of working at the BJP’s behest.
At Tuesday’s rally too, he dismissed the dissident group’s Martyrs Day programme as “BJP-sponsored” and asserted that grassroots Trinamool workers continued to stand firmly with Mamata Banerjee.
Kalyan Banerjee, however, has had occasional differences within the party.
Recently, he publicly criticised Abhishek Banerjee during a dispute over legal representation in a case in the Calcutta High Court, saying Mamata Banerjee would have to decide “who would remain in the party — Abhishek or me”.
The differences were subsequently resolved, with both leaders publicly expressing mutual respect. PTI PNT NSD
(This story is published as part of the auto-generated syndicate wire feed. No editing has been done in the headline or the body by ABP Live.)
