Termed 'loose cannon' by political rivals, TMC's Kalyan Banerjee is no stranger to controversies

Kolkata: TMC MP Kalyan Banerjee, suspended for a day from the parliamentary committee on the Waqf Bill after smashing a glass water bottle and hurling it at the Chair during an argument on Tuesday, has a track record of landing into controversies and making inflammatory remarks against political opponents.

Banerjee earlier mocked, among others, Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar who was a former West Bengal governor, the agitating junior doctors of the state protesting the rape and murder of their colleague at RG Kar hospital, and former state chief minister Buddhadev Bhattacharjee.

During a meeting of the Joint Committee on the Waqf (Amendment) Bill on Tuesday, Banerjee got into a heated argument with BJP MP and former Calcutta High Court judge Abhijit Gangopadhyay.

During the meeting, Banerjee was involved in an ugly spat with Gangopadhyay— not for the first time— as expletives were hurled, with both members attacking each other in Bangla.

The Committee's chairperson and veteran BJP MP Jagdambika Pal said he and other members tried to calm things when the Trinamool Congress leader picked up a glass bottle, smashed it and threw it towards him. Banerjee ended up with cuts on the thumb and the little finger in his right hand.

Pal stated that it had become the TMC member's habit to use cuss words, while some opposition members claimed that Gangopadhyay also targeted him.

The committee suspended Banerjee for a day, citing his inappropriate language towards the Chair and his act of smashing the bottle.

The 67-year-old lawyer-turned-politician has earned the moniker "loose cannon" from political opponents due to his track record of making controversial remarks and frequently landing in controversy.

Last week, during the junior doctors' protest against the rape and murder of a medic, Banerjee taunted their "fast-unto-death" as "fast-unto-hospitalisation" aimed at attracting media attention and securing hospital admission days after the agitation began.

In December last year, Banerjee mocked Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar during an opposition protest outside Parliament, imitating him in a manner that sparked outrage.

The ruling BJP was quick to criticise his actions, while Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Droupadi Murmu expressed their dismay.

In response, the Trinamool Congress leader clarified that he did not intend to offend anyone.

As a four-time MP from the Serampore seat, Banerjee has a track record of making controversial remarks against former chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharya and Prime Minister Narendra Modi as well.

A law graduate with roots in student politics, Banerjee has been a staunch supporter of TMC boss Mamata Banerjee. He was elected to the West Bengal Assembly in 2001 first, before becoming a Lok Sabha MP from the Serampore constituency in 2009.

Kalyan Banerjee first gained prominence in 2009 for criticising then CM Buddhadeb Bhattacharya's time spent at the city's cultural hub Nandan.

In 2012, during the TMC's withdrawal of support from the Congress-led UPA government, Banerjee engaged in a verbal spat with then union minister Anand Sharma over the issue of allowing foreign direct investment (FDI).

Four years later, amid protests against demonetisation outside the Reserve Bank of India office in Kolkata, Banerjee made controversial remarks against Prime Minister Modi, leading to widespread condemnation.

In January 2021, months before the state assembly polls, Banerjee stirred controversy by invoking Goddess Sita and Lord Ram while slamming the BJP over the rape at Hathras in Uttar Pradesh.

The Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) and the BJP vehemently criticized Banerjee, demanding his immediate arrest for allegedly hurting religious sentiments.

Banerjee clashed frequently with Dhankhar during the latter's tenure as West Bengal governor.

On several occasions, Banerjee led protests against the Raj Bhavan, even urging TMC workers to file police complaints against Dhankhar and suggesting legal action once his term as governor ended.

Despite the controversies, Banerjee is valued within the TMC for his legal expertise and is often the party’s go-to advisor on legal matters that involve the party or the West Bengal government.