"Very unfriendly act on part of state": TMC's Saugata Roy on Mamata PSO row; BJP's Falguni Patra says "it's constitutional"

"Recently, they called two security personnel who have been with Mamata for a long time, and they asked them questions. It's likely that they may be changed. We strongly decry this... So we take it as a very unfriendly act on the part of the state," he told ANI.

Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Saugata Roy on Thursday termed the removal of former Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's Personal Security Officer (PSO) as an "unfriendly act," amid an escalating political row over changes in her security arrangement and growing tensions within the party. "Recently, they called two security personnel who have been with Mamata for a long time, and they asked them questions. It's likely that they may be changed. We strongly decry this... So we take it as a very unfriendly act on the part of the state," he told ANI.

The controversy comes amid claims that Mamata Banerjee's long-serving PSO, who had been with her for nearly two decades, was recently removed, prompting strong reactions from within the Trinamool Congress. TMC MLA Kunal Ghosh also called the development "unfortunate," saying the Chief Minister should have been informed in advance.

"What happened last night is unfortunate. Such a senior leader, 7-time MP, 4-time Union Minister, 2-time Railway Minister, 3-time Chief Minister--if there is any change in security, she should have been informed with just one call. But the government did not do that," Ghosh told the reporters. Meanwhile, BJP leader Falguni Patra said Mamata Banerjee is no longer an MLA and the current security-related developments are being carried out as per the Constitution.

"Mamata Banerjee was the leader of a private limited company. The public has seen what is happening to her company... Mamata Banerjee is not even an MLA now. What is happening is according to the Constitution. While she was the CM, she had security cover," Patra said. Meanwhile, on the political rift within TMC, Saugata Roy said, "The people who have been separated would not be able to get 100 people for them. So they do not matter... None of these MPs can get 10,000 votes on their own."

On the other hand, West Bengal Minister Tapas Roy said internal political disputes within the TMC were being exaggerated. "It doesn't matter to us. TMC is fighting with TMC, what's the point?... Their politics are dirty, and this is nothing new," he said.

Earlier in the day, TMC MP Kalyan Banerjee criticised the West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari after Mamata Banerjee's PSO was taken away, calling it a "vindictive attitude" of the Chief Minister. "It is very unfortunate that the PSO of Mamata Banerjee, who was there for 20 years, has been taken away. I have been told that the new PSOs were given who she did not accept. This is purely an autocracy. PSO is a matter of confidence; if I don't have any confidence in any PSO, I may say that I don't have. This is a very vindictive attitude of the Chief Minister. Everything is happening because of the vindictive attitude of the Chief Minister," he told ANI.

This comes at a time when rebellion grows within the Trinamool Congress, a total of 58 MLAs of the Trinamool Congress have already formed a separate faction within the West Bengal assembly, where Ritabrata Banerjee has been recognised as Leader of Opposition by the speaker Rathindra Bose. On the other hand, in Lok Sabha, 2/3rd MPs led by Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar have merged with the Tripura-based Nationalist Citizens Party of India (NCPI) and have also written to Lok Sabha speaker Om Birla for a separate seating arrangement in the lower house. (ANI)