Exactly a week after he injured himself when he smashed a glass bottle during a meeting of the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) on the Waqf Bill, Trinamool Congress MP Kalyan Banerjee revealed why he reacted in such a manner.
Also, Banerjee said he would not have thrown the bottle at committee chairperson, BJP MP Jagdambika Pal.
Also Read: JPC chief Jagdambika Pal remembers Kalyan Banerjee's 'fury'
“The other day only I told the meeting I had no intention to throw it (bottle) at the chairperson and said I was sorry,” he told reporters in Delhi.
Further, the Trinamool leader, who is among panel members representing opposition parties, alleged he was ‘provoked’ by BJP's Abhijit Gangopadhyay, a former judge of the Calcutta high court, and now a Lok Sabha member of the ruling party.
“When Gangopadhyay raised his voice, I questioned him. He used abusive language against me and my kin. I reacted but he continued to use foul language,” the MP from West Bengal's Serampore, recalled.
Also Read: TMC's Kalyan Banerjee suspended for a day over ‘unruly conduct’ at JPC Waqf meeting
Banerjee accused JPC chief Pal of being ‘harsh’ with him and ‘soft’ with Gangopadhyay.
{{/usCountry}}Banerjee accused JPC chief Pal of being ‘harsh’ with him and ‘soft’ with Gangopadhyay.
{{/usCountry}}“This led to frustration…(the one) who started it (argument) was not pulled up but I was. I became frustrated, and not annoyed. At this point, I smashed the bottle and injured my fingers. I had to let go of the bottle and it rolled towards the Chair," he added.
As a judge, Gangopadhyay gave several judgments ‘against’ the Trinamool government of West Bengal, resulting in tensions between them.
Meanwhile, several meetings of the 21-member JPC on Waqf, have been stormy, including the one on Tuesday. There was a verbal spat during the Mumbai meeting in September as well, and Kalyan Banerjee was involved there too.
(With PTI inputs)