The Trinamool Congress (TMC) on Thursday accused the BJP-led dispensation of targeting party supremo and former West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee by removing long-serving security personnel assigned to her protection, describing the move as a "new low in political vendetta".
The allegations come amid heightened political tensions in the state, though there has been no official confirmation regarding the withdrawal, transfer or replacement of personnel in Banerjee's security detail.
In a strongly worded post on X, the TMC claimed that security personnel who had protected Banerjee for years had been removed from duty.
"Removing the long-serving security personnel protecting @MamataOfficial is not administrative action, it is a calculated move to isolate and endanger her," the party said.
According to the TMC, some of the personnel had been part of Banerjee's security apparatus since her days as the Union railway minister and had continued to serve through her tenure as chief minister.
The party also launched a direct attack on chief minister Suvendu Adhikari, accusing him of pursuing vendetta politics.
"A shocking new low in political vendetta. What exactly are you plotting, @SuvenduWB? Your obsession with vendetta politics and your insecurity-driven abuse of power exposes exactly who you are," the TMC said in its post.
Adding to the controversy, TMC Rajya Sabha MP Derek O'Brien claimed that Banerjee's personal security officers (PSOs), who had been attached to her for nearly two decades, were shifted from her Kolkata residence.
"MamataOfficial's PSOs for 20 years were moved out from her residence in Kolkata," O'Brien alleged, further claiming that there was no security presence at the entrance of Banerjee's Kalighat residence on Wednesday night.
Another TMC Rajya Sabha MP, Sagarika Ghose, questioned the rationale behind the alleged move and termed it an act of political retaliation.
"A former CM's security is not about politics, it is the Bengal government's institutional responsibility," Ghose wrote on X.
Alleging "politics of vendetta", she asked why Banerjee's long-serving security personnel had been suddenly withdrawn and whether she had been left without adequate security late at night.
Neither the state government nor the police have issued any statement on the allegations so far, leaving unanswered questions over whether any changes have indeed been made to the security arrangements of the three-time chief minister.
The issue is likely to trigger a fresh political confrontation between the ruling TMC and the BJP in the run-up to next year's assembly elections.
