New Delhi, Aug 10, 2025 : In yet another public spat within the Trinamool Congress (TMC), senior party leader and four-time Lok Sabha MP Kalyan Banerjee on Saturday launched a sharp attack on fellow MP Mahua Moitra, calling her “below standard” and “a waste of time.” His remarks are expected to intensify the already simmering tensions between the two, which have caused repeated embarrassment to the party’s leadership.

Speaking to reporters in his constituency, Srirampur, Mr Banerjee said he regretted ever giving Ms Moitra any attention. “The lady (Ms Moitra) is not my subject matter… She is very below the standard. There is no point discussing her. I have become bad to several people because of her,” he stated. “It was a waste of time, I wasted my energy. She doesn’t deserve my attention. It was my mistake that I gave her attention,” he added.

He revealed that a junior advocate’s message over the ongoing dispute inspired him to stop engaging with Ms Moitra. “I have a lot of work to do now,” Mr Banerjee said, stressing that his focus would return to constituency and parliamentary responsibilities.

The bitter exchanges between the two MPs — Mr Banerjee from Srirampur and Ms Moitra from Krishnanagar — have been ongoing for months, with each accusing the other of verbal abuse and disregard for civil discourse. Party insiders say their feud has created significant discomfort for Chief Minister and party supremo Mamata Banerjee.

Mr Banerjee’s fresh comments come just over a month after his resignation as the TMC’s chief whip in the Lok Sabha on July 4. At the time, he alleged that he was unfairly blamed for poor coordination among party MPs, even though some members rarely attended Parliament. He also expressed deep hurt over the party’s silence when he was “insulted” by a fellow MP — a remark widely understood to refer to Ms Moitra.

His resignation came hours after a virtual meeting of Trinamool MPs chaired by Mamata Banerjee, in which she reportedly expressed dissatisfaction with the parliamentary wing’s performance. While Mr Banerjee publicly maintained that his resignation was voluntary, sources close to him claimed he felt scapegoated after prolonged friction with Ms Moitra and earlier, with former cricketer-turned-TMC MP Kirti Azad.

Despite his criticism of Ms Moitra, Mr Banerjee did express regret for some of his past remarks against Mamata Banerjee. “I have also spoken against didi. I think it would have been better if I had not said this,” he admitted. Asked whether he had interacted with the Chief Minister during Raksha Bandhan, he said, “Didi blessed me. Not once, but thrice.”

Ms Moitra, known for her sharp speeches and confrontations in Parliament, has not yet responded to Mr Banerjee’s latest remarks. Party leaders have so far refrained from public intervention, though sources indicate that the leadership is concerned about the damage the public feud could cause ahead of key political battles in West Bengal.

The ongoing war of words underscores internal fissures in the TMC at a time when the party is under pressure to maintain unity, both in Parliament and on the ground, as it faces challenges from the BJP and Congress in the state’s evolving political landscape.