NEW DELHI: Trinamool Congress on Tuesday appointed Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar its chief whip in Lok Sabha, a day after Kunal Ghosh quit the post amid a bitter spat with his ex colleague Mohua Moitra. The Mamata Banerjee‘s party has named Satabdi Roy its deputy leader in the Lower House.Kalyan Banerjee on Monday announced his resignation as the party’s chief whip in the Lok Sabha, citing internal discord and lack of coordination among MPs.“Kalyan Banerjee submitted his resignation yesterday to the Chairperson from the post of Chief Whip of the TMC Parliamentary Party in the Lok Sabha. The Chairperson has nominated Dr. Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar as the new Chief Whip of the party in the Lok Sabha and Satabdi Roy as the new Deputy Leader of TMC in the Lok Sabha with immediate effect,” the TMC posted on X.The decision came shortly after a virtual meeting of TMC MPs, both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, chaired by party supremo and West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee. “Didi pointed out a lack of coordination among MPs. So, the blame is on me. I’ve decided to step down,” Banerjee told a news channel.A senior advocate and four-time MP from Sreerampur, Banerjee’s resignation follows a series of high-profile run-ins with fellow TMC MP Mahua Moitra and a public spat with cricketer-turned-politician Kirti Azad, episodes that have caused unease within the party ranks.Kalyan Banerjee on Tuesday sought an “apology” by posting an old video of him defending Moitra in Parliament. “In 2023, I stood by Ms Moitra when she was under fire in Parliament — I did so out of conviction, not compulsion. Today, she repays that support by calling me a misogynist,” Kalyan Banerjee said while posting the video on X. The TMC MP further said, “I owe the nation an apology for having defended someone who clearly lacks basic gratitude. Let people see her words for what they are and judge accordingly.”
