CALCUTTA: Sujata Mondal Khan, wife of BJP MP Saumitra khan, joined TMC on Monday, claiming that she did not get their due recognition even after taking various risks to have her husband elected from Bishnupur during the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.
Shortly after, outraged by his wife’s action, Khan said he would send a divorce notice to Sujata and urged her not to use his last name anymore.
Earlier in the day, at a press meeting, Mondal Khan said “misfit and corrupt leaders” are gaining more prominence in the saffron field than loyalists.
“Despite enduring physical attacks, sacrificing so much for my husband to be elected to Parliament, I got nothing in return … I want to work with our beloved leader Mamata Banerjee and our dad Abhishek Banerjee,” she said, after joining the party in the presence of TMC deputy Saugata Roy and his spokesperson Kunal Ghosh.
When asked if her decision would in any way influence her husband, who is also the head of the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM) state unit, she said that it was he who should decide her future course of action.
“I hope he realizes one day … Who knows he might be back in the TMC one day,” said the newly incorporated leader of Bengal’s ruling party.
Khan said at a hastily convened press meeting a little later that he is sending a divorce notice to Sujata, “breaking up our 10-year relationship.”
“You are being used by some people who did not hesitate to create a gap between a husband and wife who supported each other during the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. Yes, you were my mainstay during the Bishnupur Lok sabha campaign.
“However, don’t forget that I won by 6.58,000 votes and this margin was made possible by my party, my reputation in the area,” Khan said.
Claiming that his wife owed her popularity to the saffron field, he said, “You (Sujata) have come this far, as you had sung Jai Shree Ram, sung in favor of (Narendra) Modiji, as you were the wife of Saumitra Khan. ”
“Please refrain from using the surname ‘Khan’ hereafter; do not refer to yourself as Saumitra Khan’s wife. I am giving you all the freedom to chart your own political destiny. But don’t forget that you are on the side of those who attacked their parents’ residence in 2019 after I joined the BJP, “Khan said, urging TMC leadership to ensure she is not subjected to any assault or physical harm.
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