.webp)
A brief exchange between Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and Trinamool Congress MP Kalyan Banerjee outside Parliament drew attention on Thursday after Banerjee displayed a poster featuring photographs of 20 rebel Trinamool MPs, describing them as "traitors". The interaction took place as Banerjee protested against the group of MPs who have broken away from the Trinamool Congress and aligned themselves with the Nationalist Citizens Party of India (NCPI), which has expressed support for the NDA.
Kalyan Banerjee carried the poster around his neck, displaying photographs of the rebel MPs on both sides. As Priyanka Gandhi looked at the poster, she asked whether the same images were printed on the reverse side and suggested he turn around for photographers. While leaving, Banerjee complimented Priyanka Gandhi on her speech in Parliament, to which she thanked him. When asked by reporters about the poster, Banerjee described it as carrying the photographs of "20 traitors".
The protest comes after at least 20 of the 28 Trinamool Congress Lok Sabha MPs formed a separate group under the leadership of Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar and joined the NCPI while extending support to the NDA. The list of rebel MPs includes Sudip Bandyopadhyay, Rachna Banerjee, Jagadish Chandra Barma, Partha Bhowmick, Arup Chakraborty, Deepak Dev Adhikari, Sayani Ghosh, Bapi Haldar, Abu Taher Khan, Kalipada Saren Kherwal, Asit Kumar and Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar, among others.
Responding to questions from reporters, Banerjee said the rebel MPs were "inside Parliament, sitting next to Modiji". He argued that the matter should be treated as a case of defection and said a petition had already been filed, alleging that no action had been taken despite several weeks passing. During the interaction, Priyanka Gandhi remarked that "some MPs went from our side to yours and then to the BJP," referring to political defections between the Congress, Trinamool Congress and the BJP.
The discussion also touched upon the political relationship between the Congress and Trinamool Congress. Banerjee said he had previously been associated with the Congress and claimed Mamata Banerjee had left the party after differences in 1997. Priyanka Gandhi responded that former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi had respected Mamata Banerjee, a point with which Banerjee agreed. The conversation ended as Priyanka Gandhi and other Congress MPs left the area while Banerjee remained with the protest poster.