Still with Trinamool, says turncoat MP Sunil Mondal

KOLKATA: Turncoat Lok Sabha MP Sunil Mondal, who had joined BJP last December, claimed that he was still with the Trinamool Congress (TMC) and would continue to remain the state's ruling party member. The MP insisted that he had never joined the BJP.

"I was not feeling comfortable in BJP. I was present with Suvendu Adhikari at a BJP programme on December 19 and held the BJP flag. But, I never said I joined the BJP. A misunderstanding developed and it is being resolved," Mondal

clarified. Meanwhile, Trinamool Congress—which had made representations with Speaker Om Birla to disqualify Mondal under the anti-defection law— said Mondal was 'on probation' before his re-induction into the party and was asked to prove his political convictions by taking part in anti-BJP programmes.

Mondal, who represents the Purba Burdwan district as an MP, had also written a letter to the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) urging them to withdraw the Central forces for his security as he was not in a position to maintain the expenditure of the same. Sources in the TMC said many BJP leaders had already urged the Central leadership to withdraw their Central forces as they couldn't afford to maintain the same. MHA is yet to answer in this regard.

According to Mondal, he had urged state BJP leadership verbally on several occasions to withdraw the Central security forces, but the latter was apparently reluctant to raise the issue before the Central leadership. Finally, he wrote a letter on August 2 to OC CRPF regarding withdrawal of the Central

security force. Meanwhile, during Mamata Banerjee's Delhi visit, Mondal went to meet her and requested her to take him back into the party and pleaded with the party leadership to forgive him. As TMC had already decided not to take the turncoats, Mondal's joining may create flutter inside Trinamool Congress, sources said.