Somen calls Mamata 'vindictive' after security withdrawal

Somen Mitra, who recently quit as a Trinamool Congress parliamentarian and joined the Congress, has accused the Mamata Banerjee government of being "vindictive" after his security cover was withdrawn.

In a letter to the West bengal chief minister, Mitra alleged that the security cover provided to him since 1972, when he first became a legislator, was withdrawn Feb 22 without any prior information.

"After learning that security persons have been withdrawn, I contacted the senior police officer concerned who categorically told me that I don't fall under the category for having security as per government rules," Mitra said in the letter delivered to the chief minister's office Wednesday.

"Successive governments have been providing me security uninterruptedly even when I was not an MLA (1977-1982). It's a prerogative of the government to decide on this matter and I don't dispute that. But the officer didn't have the minimal courtesy to inform me before withdrawing my security personnel," he said.

"I remained a people's representative uninterruptedly since 1982 till Jan 15 (2014) when I resigned as an MP and quit your party (Trinamool) and joined Congress."

"Should I conclude that this act mentioned in earlier paragraphs has been done as a vengeance and political vindictiveness perpetuated by your government?" Mitra asked Banerjee in the letter.