New Delhi: Trinamool Congress MP Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar has been given Y category armed security cover by the Centre, a move that comes soon after she was replaced as the party’s chief whip in the Lok Sabha.
According to officials cited in an ABP Live report, the security cover was provided by the Central Industrial Security Force from May 19 and has been implemented with immediate effect. The decision has drawn political attention because it comes at a time when the TMC has made key changes in its parliamentary leadership.
The development follows a meeting of Trinamool Congress MPs, where party chief Mamata Banerjee appointed senior leader Kalyan Banerjee as the new chief whip of the TMC in the Lok Sabha. He has replaced Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar in the post.
For the TMC, the change is being seen as an attempt to tighten coordination and sharpen its parliamentary strategy. Kalyan Banerjee has held the position earlier, and his return is being viewed as a sign that the leadership wants a more combative and experienced floor manager in the Lower House.
The timing, however, has added a fresh layer of speculation. Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar is among the party’s senior parliamentarians and represents Barasat in West Bengal. She is also associated with the Trinamool women’s wing and has long been counted among the experienced voices in the party’s Delhi team.
Her removal from the chief whip post had already created a buzz within Bengal’s political circles. The Centre’s decision to extend CISF security to her immediately after the reshuffle has now made the episode even more politically sensitive.
The ABP report did not mention any detailed official reason behind the security assessment. Such protection decisions are generally taken after a threat review by central agencies.
The episode comes at a tense moment for Bengal politics, where the TMC is trying to reorganise itself after recent political setbacks while also preparing for a more aggressive role in Parliament. Mamata Banerjee’s move to bring back Kalyan Banerjee suggests that the party wants discipline, coordination and stronger floor tactics at a time when its political messaging is under close watch.
For now, Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar’s new security cover and her replacement as chief whip have together created a fresh talking point in Bengal’s already charged political landscape.