'Wasteful lady', 'below standard': TMC's Kalyan Banerjee renews attack on Mahua Moitra; feud continues as West Bengal heads towards 2026 elections

NEW DELHI: In a fresh escalation of tensions within the Trinamool Congress (TMC), Lok Sabha MP Kalyan Banerjee described fellow party leader Mahua Moitra as “below standard” and a “wasteful lady,” remarks likely to deepen their ongoing feud.

Speaking to reporters, Kalyan said, “Mahua Moitra is not my subject matter that I need to talk about her. I do not want to invest my time, energy and mind on a wasteful lady like her.” He added, “And I have become the villain in people’s eyes for talking about her.”

While conceding that he had earlier made “unsavoury comments” about chief minister Mamata Banerjee , saying, “I shouldn’t have done that”, Kalyan stood by his remarks against Moitra.

Also Read: Kalyan Banerjee vs Mahua Moitra: TMC leaders trade barbs in public; all you need to know about the feud

The exchanges come after the two leaders clashed publicly over the South Kolkata Law College rape case. Their rivalry has played out in the media in recent weeks, drawing attention ahead of the West Bengal Vidhan Sabha election scheduled for early 2026.

Moitra has not yet publicly responded to the latest comments.