Life has opened a new avenue for me: Babul Supriyo on joining TMC

Former Union minister and BJP MP Babul Supriyo, who switched over to West Bengal's ruling TMC in a surprise move, on Sunday said life has now opened a new avenue for him from the prospect of being "retired hurt" from public affairs.

Supriyo also said he has nothing to prove to anybody, and he has been involved in politics from the grassroots level since becoming an MP in 2014 on a BJP ticket from Asansol.

"Life has opened a new avenue for me from the prospect of being retired hurt from public life," Supriyo said, addressing a press conference at the Trinamool Congress headquarters here.

"I received a lot of love and support from a party (TMC) with which I had a very tumultuous relationship," he said.

Blowing hot and cold for several weeks after being dropped from the Narendra Modi government, the BJP MP sprang a surprise on Saturday when he joined the TMC and asserted he will work for the development of the state.

Supriyo, a two-term MP from Asansol, had earlier declared he will quit politics, before being persuaded by the BJP leadership to continue as a Lok Sabha member.