Hummingbird News Desk
KOLKATA, 11 JUNE: Ending all suspense, Mukul Roy, a BJP national vice-president, along with his son and former MLA Subhrangshu, returned to the ruling Trinamul Congress fold on Friday, with chief minister Mamata Banerjee welcoming him back to the party. He was felicitated by Abhishek Banerjee.
Moments after joining TMC, Roy said, “It feels good to see my former colleagues here. Bengal will restore its glory under the leadership of Mamata Banerjee. I will issue a written statement on why I left the BJP. Under the present condition, no one can remain in the BJP.”
Miss Banerjee, announcing Mr Roy’s return to the Trinamul Congress at Trinamul Bhavan, said, “Mukul Roy is like one of our family members. He was feeling claustrophobic in the BJP. Any person with self respect cannot work with BJP. The BJP leaders are like landed zamindars and they did not treat their party workers with dignity.”
The TMC supremo further said, “Mukul Roy was threatened in BJP, it affected his health.”
Mr Roy told the Press, “I have left the BJP as I cannot work there. I’m feeling satisfied to be back in my old party.”
When asked about his criticism against Miss Banerjee and her nephew when he had joined the BJP, Miss Banerjee instantly quipped before Mr Roy made any reply saying, “Mukul never said anything against the party. Even during election, he he never abused Trinamul Congress. So we have decided to take him back into the party.”
Miss Banerjee said there are two categories of defectors. One category is of those who are subdued like Mukul Roy. Another category is of those who had changed sides for money, power, just before election and openly abused the party. Our party had decided not to take them back into the party, Miss Banerjee said.
While answering to question whether the party will be strengthened folloing Mr Roy’s induction, Miss Banerjee said, “Our party is always strong and because of this reason, the party has experienced a landslide victory in the Assembly polls.”
“Mukul Roy has returned to his roots today. He could not work in the BJP. He has found peace by returning to his former party. He was made the national vice-president of the BJP, but he was not satisfied with the work. Mukul will continue to play the same role in our party which he used to play earlier,” said Miss Banerjee.
The development comes a month after the TMC registered a landslide victory in the West Bengal Assembly elections, winning 213 of the 292 assembly seats that went to polls.
Although Roy won the Krishnagar North seat on a BJP ticket, he had been maintaining distance from the party after it lost the polls.
Once a close aide of Mamata Banerjee, Roy resigned from the TMC in September 2017 and was suspended by the party for six years for anti-party activities. He joined the BJP in November that year. In September 2020, Roy was made national vice-president of the BJP. Roy’s son Subhrangshu too joined the BJP in May 2019.
Subhrangshu, also a former TMC MLA, lost from the Bijpur seat in this year’s Assembly polls.
