Welcoming dissident Trinamool Congress MP Somen Mitra's resignation from Lok Sabha, Congress on Wednesday said the party will be happy to take him back to its fold and also consider giving him a ticket to contest the general election from West Bengal.
"We welcome Somen Mitra's resignation as MP and also welcome him back to Congress. We will surely consider giving him a party ticket to contest the Lok Sabha elections," state Congress president Pradip Bhattacharya told.
Mitra, who was having a strained relationship with the Trinamool Congress leadership for the last one year, on Wednesday resigned as MP of the Diamond Harbour Lok Sabha constituency.
In past few months, Mitra had fired several salvos against the TMC leadership and the state government. AICC general secretary Shakeel Ahmed too welcomed his move and said Mitra has been the state Congress president in the past and was a respected senior leader.
"Somen Mitra is a very senior and respected leader. But, whether he will join Congress or not, will be decided by our party high command and the state Congress president," Ahmed said. Mitra, who has been state PCC president, left the party to form his own outfit in 2007, but merged it with the Trinamool Congress in 2008 and contested from Diamond Harbour on a TMC ticket.
Replying to questions, 70-year old Mitra said he had committed a mistake by joining Mamata Banerjee's party and wanted to undo it. Mitra said he had also made his intention of quitting Trinamool Congress known to party chief Mamata Banerjee. Sources close to him said he may formally rejoin Congress in Kolkata on January 21.
A major opposition leader under the Left rule, Mitra had seven stints in the state assembly since 1972. He headed the state Congress when Banerjee broke away to form Trinamool Congress. He joined her party in July 2008 and got elected to the Lok Sabha in 2009. Mitra also said he would leave Trinamool as the party has moved away from the principles on which it came to power.
"It is difficult for me to adjust with its new stand. The party's slogan was 'We want change, not vengeance', but we have seen a huge deviation," he said.
In the recent times, Mitra has been attacking the ruling party for "breakdown" of law and order in West Bengal under Trinamool rule and on issues like the Saradha chit fund scam.
He also reportedly stated that, "In a nutshell, the 'Ma, mati, manush' (mother, land and people) slogan has taken a different turn. 'Ma' is being raped, 'mati' is being encroached upon and 'manush' is being cheated."
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