MP Sunil Mondal: Meeting BJP leaders was political courtesy, I never left the TMC

Lok Sabha MP Sunil Mondal, who joined BJP alongside Suvendu Adhikari on December 12, 2020, claimed that he never quit TMC and his meeting with BJP leaders should be considered as ‘political courtesy’.

Speaking to News18 over the phone, Mondal said, “Yes, today in the Lok Sabha I raised my voice against the Pegasus issue. My other colleagues were also raising slogans close to the Well. In this time of pandemic when travelling is restricted, mobile phones are one of the key modes to communicate with friends and family members. Under such circumstances, if someone snooped into our phone is like intruding into one’s personal life. I strongly condemn this, and I want Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah to come out with a statement in this matter.”

When asked when he is officially joining the TMC, he said, “I never left TMC… so there is no question of joining back or ghar wapsi. I was a TMC MP and I am a TMC MP. I think hate politics is going on in this country and we should collectively fight against it.”

In the context of his joining the BJP (on December 12, 2020, in presence of Union Home Minister Amit Shah), he said, “My meeting with other party leaders or sharing dais with them should be considered as a courtesy meeting. Earlier, we have seen how the Congress and Left leaders used to sit together for lunch. There was political decency but nowadays it is no longer there. I just tried to maintain that decorum (on sharing a stage with BJP leaders in Bengal).”

Concerned over the attack on TMC’s All India General Secretary Abhishek Banerjee’s convoy in Tripura, he said, “I condemned the attack on Abhishek Banerjee. In a democratic country, such an incident should not happen. Anyone can go to any State to strengthen the party, there is nothing wrong with it. Even BJP leaders came to Bengal but the results we all know.”

“I will certainly call him to enquire about his health and security,” he added.

He, however, refused to comment on whether he had any communication with Mamata Banerjee in the recent past.

Meanwhile, Mondal wrote a letter to the Union Home Ministry requesting to withdraw his central security citing the reason that he is finding it difficult to maintain the expenditure of the security.

On December 19, 2020, Mondal along with 10 MLAs, including Leader of the Opposition in the West Bengal Assembly Suvendu Adhikari, had joined the BJP in presence of Union Home Minister Amit Shah in a public rally in West Midnapore.

In the past, after the Assembly poll result was declared in Bengal, Mondal felt that the BJP had a trust issue with those who joined from the Trinamool Congress.