Archive · 30 Jul 2026
Priyanka Gandhi, Kalyan Banerjee Debate Congress‑TMC History at Parliament
In July 2026, two Indian politicians met outside the Parliament building in New Delhi.
Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, a Congress member, talked to Kalyan Banerjee, a TMC member who had been suspended.
They were discussing how some politicians moved from the Congress party to the TMC and then to a new party called NCPI.
Priyanka said that the former leader Mamata Banerjee was once part of the Congress.
Kalyan replied that Mamata was kicked out of the Congress in 1997.
Priyanka also said that the late former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi liked Mamata.
The meeting happened while other politicians were protesting about police actions on student protests.
The two parties, Congress and TMC, have been rivals in West Bengal but have worked together at the national level.
This meeting shows how political alliances can change over time.
Priyanka Gandhi Vadra met suspended TMC MP Kalyan Banerjee outside Makar Dwar on 30 July 2026.
Banerjee was protesting the alleged merger of TMC MPs with the Nationalist Citizens Party of India and wore a poster labeling 20 rebel MPs as traitors.
The two leaders exchanged remarks about the history of Congress and TMC, with Banerjee noting Mamata Banerjee was expelled from Congress in 1997 and Priyanka saying Rajiv Gandhi promoted her.
The incident occurred amid broader opposition protests over police action on student demonstrators and demands for Home Minister Amit Shah’s presence in Parliament.
Congress and TMC have recently shown cordiality at the national level despite rivalry in West Bengal, following the 2024 elections and BJP’s rise in the state.
- Who
- Priyanka Gandhi Vadra (Congress MP) and Kalyan Banerjee (suspended TMC MP)
- What
- A conversation about the history of Congress and TMC during a protest over the alleged merger of TMC MPs with the Nationalist Citizens Party of India
- When
- Thursday, 30 July 2026
- Where
- Outside Makar Dwar, Parliament complex, New Delhi
- Why
- To protest the merger and highlight the historical ties between the two parties
- Event
- Congress‑TMC banter at Parliament
- Date
- 30 July 2026
- Location
- Makar Dwar, Parliament complex, New Delhi
- Participants
- Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Kalyan Banerjee
- Issue
- Merger of TMC MPs with NCPI
