As TMC distances itself from Kalyan Banerjee and Madan Mitra’s controversial comments on the South Kolkata law college rape case, Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra calls out the “misogyny across party lines”.

Moitra on Saturday publicly condemned her party colleagues for making controversial statements about the recent gangrape of the law student.

Taking to X , Moitra wrote, “Misogyny in India cuts across party lines. The difference is that TMC condemns these disgusting comments no matter who makes them.”

Her statement came shortly after the TMC’s official handle posted that the remarks made by senior party leaders...MP Kalyan Banerjee and MLA Madan Mitra were personal opinions, and that the party disassociated itself from the statements. “These views do not reflect the position of the party in any manner whatsoever,” the post read, adding that TMC has “zero tolerance” for crimes against women and demands the “strictest possible punishment” for the perpetrators.Three men have been arrested...Manojit Mishra, 31, a former student of the college and member of TMC’s youth wing, along with current students Promit Mukherjee and Zaid Ahmed. According to the police, while Manojit raped the student, the other two recorded videos of the act to later blackmail her.

The college’s security guard was also arrested.

TMC MP Kalyan Banerjee stirred controversy by saying, “If a friend rapes a friend, how can you ensure security? Will there be police in schools? This was done by students to another student. Who will protect her (victim)?”

MLA Madan Mitra added to the backlash by suggesting the crime could have been avoided. “This incident has sent a message to girls that if someone calls you when the college is closed, don’t go; nothing good will come of it. If that girl had not gone there, this incident wouldn’t have happened,” Mitra said.

Sharp criticism from Malviya

The comments sparked sharp criticism across party lines, with BJP’s Amit Malviya calling them “victim-blaming, plain and vile.” The TMC’s attempt to distance itself from its own senior leaders was seen by many as damage control, especially with West Bengal Assembly elections scheduled for next year.

In her post, Moitra not only backed the party’s official distancing but amplified the condemnation, labeling the remarks “disgusting” and underscoring that “TMC differs from other parties in calling out such statements, irrespective of who makes them.”

Kalyan's personal attack at Mahua

However, Moitra’s stance invited a personal counterattack from Kalyan Banerjee, who shifted the conversation from the issue at hand to Moitra’s personal life.

Referring to her recent wedding to former BJD MP Pinaki Misra, Banerjee said, “Mahua Moitra has come back to India after completing her honeymoon. And after coming back to India, she has started fighting against me. She is saying I am anti-women. What is she? She has broken up a family and married a 65-year-old guy. And she is saying I am anti-women.”

The fallout comes at a politically sensitive time for the Trinamool Congress, still reeling from the public outrage following the rape and murder of a doctor in a government hospital just ten months ago.

The developments have triggered concerns within the party’s top leadership, particularly over the growing pattern of public infighting among senior MPs. This isn’t the first time Trinamool’s Delhi-based leaders have clashed in public, but with Assembly polls drawing closer, the timing is likely to cause unease in the party’s upper ranks.

Moitra, often seen as one of the party’s more outspoken MPs, has yet to respond to Banerjee’s personal remarks.