Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Kalyan Banerjee, who was suspended for a day from the Joint Committee of Parliament on the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, has accused BJP's Abhijit Ganguly of provoking him during a heated exchange at the panel’s recent meeting. Banerjee, addressing reporters on Tuesday, stated that he did not intend to throw a broken glass bottle at the committee chair, BJP’s Jagdambika Pal, during the incident.
According to news agency PTI, Kalyan Banerjee clarified, "The other day only I told the meeting that I had no intention to throw it at the chairperson and said I was sorry." He alleged that Abhijit Ganguly’s personal attacks led to his reaction, where he unintentionally let go of the bottle, which rolled towards the Chair after he injured his fingers while smashing it.
The incident reportedly occurred at a committee meeting on October 22, when BJP MPs raised concerns over Kalyan Banerjee’s conduct. Following this, they submitted a letter to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, demanding Banerjee’s suspension from the House and the filing of an FIR against him.
Explaining the sequence of events, the TMC MP accused the BJP counterpart of making personal and family-related insults directed at him.
"When Ganguly was raising his voice, I questioned him. He then used abusive language against me and my kin. I reacted, but he continued to use foul language..." Kalyan Banerjee alleged, adding that he felt the chairperson was lenient with Abhijit Ganguly but harsh on him. This perceived bias, he stated, led to his frustration.
Reflecting further, Kalyan Banerjee, who is also a senior advocate, remarked, "This brought frustration in me. Then, I smashed the (glass) bottle on the table. I never had the intention to throw the bottle at the Chairman."
TMC MP Kalyan Banerjee Slams BJP's Abhijit Ganguly
The TMC Lok Sabha MP also questioned his suspension asserting that only the Speaker has the power to take such a decision, "The Chairman has no power to suspend the member, only the Speaker does."
In a pointed statement against his BJP counterpart, Kalyan Banerjee slammed Abhijit Ganguly’s tenure at the Calcutta High Court, saying, "Abhijit Ganguly was the rotten advocate of the Calcutta High Court but because of blessing two office friends who are in the collegium, he became a judge. He has not delivered a single judgment that has been reported in a law journal. He has passed so many orders, 90% of them have either been stayed or set aside by Supreme Court."
He also expressed respect for parliamentary rules and regulations, stating that Abhijit Ganguly's actions, including media statements outside the rules, further fuelled the altercation.
The remarks come as the JPC meeting on the Waqf Amendment Bill was held in Delhi today.