Trinamool offers me a chance to work for Bengal: Chandan Mitra

Journalist Chandan Mitra, who recently switched to Trinamool Congress from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), said he felt the transition would help him work for the betterment of West Bengal.

Mitra, who runs the Pioneer daily, has been a Rajya Sabha member from the saffron party. But of late he had reportedly fallen out of favour with the current party leadership.

He, however, told Catch News: “I don’t have any grievance. The BJP put me in its national executive and also sent me to the Rajya Sabha twice. I held important positions in the party. Still, I feel that I need to do something for Bengal. That’s why after considerable thought I decided to quit the BJP.”

Mitra said he felt Banerjee's party can give him the ideal platform to work for the development of West Bengal.

Sources in the BJP said Mitra was unhappy with some of the party's policies and often protested. Citing the example of Kairana bye-poll, which the BJP lost arguably due to the woes of sugarcane farmers, the source said Mitra stressed the told need to ensure farmers' welfare but the party paid little heed.

After being a nominated member to Parliament's Upper House from 2003 to 2009 , Mitra represented Madhya Pradesh there from 2010. In 2014, he unsuccessfully contested from the Hooghly Lok Sabha seat in Bengal.

Calling it a mistake, Mitra said he failed to mix with the people of Hooghly. “I sought advice from Arun Jaitley on whether or not to take the plunge. He told me to contest from Bengal,” he added.

Referring to his current choice, Mitra said no political party could match the momentum of Trinamool in the past few years and Banerjee has already taken enough measures for the welfare of the state's farmers.