# Priyanka Gandhi and Kalyan Banerjee trade barbs over TMC-Congress ties 2026-08-07T15:22:21+00:00 | Governance | Indian Opinion Desk Corroboration: 1 independent outlet Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and suspended TMC MP Kalyan Banerjee exchanged sharp remarks outside Makar Dwar in Parliament on Thursday. While Banerjee protested the merger of TMC MPs with the NCPI, Vadra said, 'You took them from Congress to TMC.' Banerjee replied that Mamata Banerjee was thrown out of Congress in 1997, to which Vadra countered that Rajiv Gandhi always promoted her. Banerjee agreed. The exchange highlights the complex ties between Congress and TMC. They are allies in the INDIA bloc nationally but rivals in West Bengal, where the BJP won power for the first time in May. A group of about 20 TMC MPs has reached out to the BJP, and 58 of 80 TMC MLAs have backed a rebel leader. Banerjee was suspended last week for alleged indecent behaviour. ## Coverage - livemint.com Tags: INDIA bloc, Kalyan Banerjee, Parliament monsoon session, Priyanka Gandhi, TMC-Congress ties, West Bengal politics Canonical: https://indianopinion.org/priyanka-gandhi-and-kalyan-banerjee-trade-barbs-over-tmc-congress-ties/ License: Summary and commentary (c) Indian Opinion, reusable with attribution. Facts belong to the linked sources. Cite: https://indianopinion.org/priyanka-gandhi-and-kalyan-banerjee-trade-barbs-over-tmc-congress-ties/#story-in-brief Review state: restored archive article, accurate at time of publication, not offered to search indexes.