Whether or not sobbing profusely whereas providing prayers at a Kali puja or entering into hassle for mimicking Vice-President Jagdeep Dhankar, Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Kalyan Banerjee has typically discovered himself within the information for unflattering causes.
On Tuesday, Banerjee was suspended for someday from the Joint Committee of Parliament on the Waqf (Modification) Invoice after he smashed a glass bottle throughout a heated trade with BJP MP Abhijit Gangopadhyay. Within the course of, Banerjee harm his thumb and index finger and needed to be given first support.
The 66-year-old lawyer-turned-politician, who has been among the many oldest colleagues of West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee since she shaped the Trinamool Congress (TMC) in 1998, is called a lot for representing his celebration in necessary authorized proceedings as he’s for his controversies.
A TMC MP from Serampore within the Hooghly district, Banerjee first gained an Meeting election again in 2001 from Asansol Uttar. He misplaced in 2006, and by 2009, had moved on to Parliament. Along with his win within the current Lok Sabha polls, he’s now a four-time MP from Serampore.
Alongside, Banerjee has proved a helpful advocate for his celebration in the case of difficult authorized circumstances, representing it in varied high-profile fits within the Calcutta Excessive Courtroom, the place he has practised since 1981. Among the many circumstances he has dealt with are the Rizwanur Rahman case (who was allegedly pushed to suicide by his influential Hindu in-laws), the Nandigram and Singur land agitations – all of which helped the TMC’s rise in opposition to the Left Entrance – and the Chhota Angaria bloodbath of TMC activists. Kalyan additionally took up the Bhikari Paswan case, involving a custodial loss of life.
Even earlier than the TMC got here to energy, Banerjee typically made information. In 2009, he attributed CM Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee’s frequent visits to a movie and cultural centre to his affinity for Scotch whiskey.
In 2015, senior BJP chief after which in-charge of the celebration’s affairs in West Bengal, Siddharth Nath Singh, despatched Banerjee a authorized discover over allegedly defamatory and libellous statements not simply in opposition to him but additionally his members of the family.
Throughout Dhankhar’s rocky tenure as West Bengal Governor (2019-2022), Banerjee was typically the prime instigator from the TMC aspect. On Might 7, 2021, after Dhankar sanctioned the prosecution of TMC ministers based mostly on a request by the CBI, Kalyan mentioned: “He’s a bloodsucker. He’s making an attempt to suck the blood of the Trinamool Congress.” Days later, the TMC MP threatened to maneuver in opposition to Dhankhar after he was not the Governor and didn’t get pleasure from authorized immunity.
Up to now few years, Banerjee has been seen because the voice of the previous brigade within the TMC, chafing on the rise of Abhishek Banerjee as Mamata’s inheritor obvious. In January 2022, he criticised what was highlighted as ‘the Diamond Harbour mannequin’, named after the constituency of Abhishek, in preventing Covid-19. “Why had been soccer tournaments organised by the MP in Diamond Harbour at first of the New 12 months if he was severe about Covid administration?” Kalyan mentioned in a direct assault on Abhishek.
Final December, Banerjee was as soon as once more within the eye of a storm over a video from the Parliament advanced exhibiting him, surrounded by different suspended Opposition MPs, ostensibly mimicking the Rajya Sabha Chairman and Vice-President Jagdeep Dhankhar, who described the act as “shameful, ridiculous and unacceptable”. The incident occurred in opposition to the backdrop of protests by the Opposition over a dialogue on the December 13 Parliament safety breach and in opposition to the next record-high suspension in each Homes.
However Banerjee insisted that he would repeat the act a thousand instances since it’s his basic proper. “Mimicry is an artwork kind. It’s my basic proper to specific my views. The best to dissent and protest can be a basic proper. You’ll be able to put me in jail for this however I cannot step again,” mentioned Banerjee, including, “I did the mimicry however later I got here to know that it turned a giant deal. However the first act of mimicry I noticed within the Lok Sabha was by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. When he did it, we laughed it off. We took the matter sportingly. They’re crying hoarse over mimicry.”
Throughout his Lok Sabha marketing campaign earlier this yr in Serampore, he drew flak for his clashes together with his rival CPI(M) candidate Dipsita Dhar, nationwide joint secretary of the CPI(M)’s college students wing and a PhD scholar at JNU. After Dhar referred to Banerjee as “Mr India”, claiming the folks of Serampore hadn’t seen him since he gained the 2019 election, Banerjee questioned her educational credentials, calling her “Miss Universe”. He additionally made derogatory feedback on Dhar’s complexion, saying she “doesn’t marketing campaign within the night as folks gained’t be capable to see her.”
Banerjee is among the many 13 Opposition MPs within the 31-member committee, headed by BJP member Jagdambika Pal, that has been tasked by the Lok Sabha to scrutinise the contentious Waqf (Modification) Invoice, which has drawn protests from the Opposition events and Muslim organisations.
