News Analysis India

Tag: Mukul Roy

  • Internal discontent in Bengal BJP? ‘Go Back’ posters against Vijayvargiya surface in Kolkata

    By Express News Service
    KOLKATA: BJP’s internal “discontent” became prominent in public on Friday after posters reading ‘GO BACK’ mocking Kailash Vijayvargiya as the “TMC setting master” were found in front of the party’s state headquarters in the city and the party election office in Hastings. 

    Similar posters were also seen beside the roads leading to Kolkata airport as the saffron camp’s national general secretary is scheduled to visit the state capital in a few days.

    The displeasure among the party functionaries started emerging after its national vice-president Mukul Roy returned to the ruling Trinamool Congress last week. A section of BJP’s Bengal functionaries expressed their discontent over Vijayvargiya’s “active” role to induct Roy in the BJP in 2017 and his effort to elevate the TMC’s former second-in-command in the party hierarchy. 

    “Roy used to be known for his close proximity to Vijayvargiya. The leader from Madhya Pradesh is now facing the wrath of our party functionaries because Roy’s breach of trust. Even a section of leaders is now expressing their doubt about Roy’s loyalty to BJP when he was in the party. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee praise for him (Roy) while addressing election rally is now strengthening the doubt. Many think Roy was in touch with TMC high-command even after he was elevated to the post of the party’s national vice president,” said a BJP leader.

    While addressing a rally in Nandigram before the Assembly elections, Mamata has said Mukul was far better than Suvendu Adhikari — the former TMC leader who joined BJP and defeated her in the East Midnapore constituency. 

    Roy’s departure also triggered the fear of disintegration in the BJP as many functionaries and workers had followed his footprint in 2017 and shifted their political allegiance to the saffron camp from the ruling TMC. “Most of the grassroots leaders now want to return to their old party. It was Vijayvargiya who had convinced the party’s high command to welcome all of Roy’s followers who were inducted since 2017,” said another BJP leader.

    BJP’s state president Dilip Ghosh too did not hide his evaluation about Roy after the most talked-about defection since the Assembly elections. “TMC performed impressively without him (Roy) in the Assembly elections. We failed to perform well despite having him at the party. So, his defection will not cause any damage to us,” he said.

  • BJP’s Suvendu Adhikari submits petition to Bengal Speaker seeking Mukul Roy’s disqualification as MLA

    By PTI
    KOLKATA: Leader of the opposition in Bengal Assembly Suvendu Adhikari on Friday submitted a petition to Speaker Biman Banerjee seeking disqualification of Mukul Roy’s membership in the House under the anti-defection law as he has recently crossed over from the BJP to the TMC, a senior leader in the saffron party said.

    The TMC, in response, insisted that the opposition leader should request his father and parliamentarian Sisir Adhikari to lead by example, as he, too, switched over to the BJP from the Mamata Banerjee camp ahead of the assembly polls.

    The speaker, when contacted, however, said he won’t be able to say anything about the petition for now as he was yet to visit the Assembly.

    “We have submitted a letter to the Speaker seeking disqualification of MLA Mukul Roy’s membership in the House. He had won the election on a BJP ticket, but joined the TMC subsequently.

    “Therefore, as per law, he should resign. We have requested the Speaker to look into the matter,” saffron party MLA Manoj Tigga said.

    Earlier this month, Roy rejoined the TMC, of which he was once the second-in-command, following his three-and-a-half year-long stint in the BJP.

    He had contested the March-April assembly polls on a BJP ticket and bagged the Krishnanagar Uttar seat.

    Adhikari, a few days ago, had met Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar to complain about Roy.

    Takiing to Twitter, Rajya Sabha MP Swapan Dasgupta, who had unsuccessfully contested the assembly election on a BJP ticket, said the law demands that he resign as MLA as he was elected on the BJP symbol.

    “Last week Mukul Roy joined AITC in presence of @MamataOfficial. There was no ambiguity over his defection. Politics will take its course, but law demands he resign as MLA elected on BJP symbol. Let him follow his own course of resigning from Rajya Sabha in 2017 before joining BJP,” Dasgupta tweeted.

    Making light of BJP’s assertions, TMC state general secretary Kunal Ghosh, said the leader of opposition should ask his father Sisir Adhikari, who joined the saffron camp in March, to “resign as our party MP before lecturing others”.

    Sharing a similar view, TMC Rajya Sabha deputy leader Sukhendu Sekhar Roy said the BJP, which has formed government in other states by “poaching MLAs” from others parties, shouldn’t be the one giving sermons on the anti-defection law.

    “The TMC has not forced anyone to join the party, unlike the BJP. The BJP in other states have used every trick — from threats to intimidation — to poach MLAs of other parties,” he added.

  • Centre withdraws Z-category VIP security cover of turncoat MLA Mukul Roy

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: The Z-category VIP security cover of West Bengal politician and MLA Mukul Roy, who recently re-joined the Trinamool Congress (TMC) after a brief stint with the BJP, has been withdrawn, official sources said on Thursday.

    They said the Union Home Ministry has directed the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) to recall its detachment deployed with the 67-year-old Roy. Roy had last week joined West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee-led TMC along with his son Subhrangshu in Kolkata.

    Sources said Roy, who won the assembly election as a BJP candidate from Krishnanagar Uttar constituency, had written to the Centre to withdraw the security cover, which has now been given effect to. Roy had quit the TMC after being removed from the post of the party’s national general secretary.

    He had joined the BJP in November, 2017, and was made the party’s national vice president. Soon after, he was accorded a low category Y+ central security cover of the central paramilitary CRPF which was upgraded to the second top level of Z just before the assembly polls in the state that were held in March-April this year.

    He had a contingent of about 22-24 armed CRPF commandos who used to move with him every time he travelled in West Bengal. Sources said the small category security cover being provided to Subhrangshu by another central paramilitary force CISF has also been withdrawn.

    The father-son are now being provided security by the state police.

  • Will seek action under anti-defection law against Mukul Roy if he doesn’t quit as MLA: Suvendu Adhikari

    By PTI
    KOLKATA: Leader of the Opposition in West Bengal Assembly Suvendu Adhikari on Monday threatened to approach the Speaker of the House seeking application of the anti-defection law against MLA Mukul Roy if he does not resign in a day.

    Roy had last week rejoined the TMC, of which he was once the second-in-command after Mamata Banerjee, following his three-and-a-half year-long stint in the BJP.

    He had contested the assembly polls on a BJP ticket and bagged the Krishnanagar Uttar seat.

    Without naming Roy, Adhikari said, “An MLA from Krishnanagar Uttar has changed party, and we hope he will resign from the membership of the assembly. If he does not resign by tomorrow, we will write to the Speaker on Wednesday seeking application of the anti-defection law.”

    According to sources in the saffron camp, Roy, who was the national vice president of the BJP, was unhappy with the role and responsibility he was given during the elections.

    Adhikari said BJP national general secretary Bhupender Yadav and Union Law Minister Ravishankar Prasad are “looking into the matter” and legal steps will be taken after seeking their opinion.

    “The BJP legislature party has decided to take recourse to the law if the matter is not settled,” the legislator told reporters outside Raj Bhavan here, where a delegation of saffron party MLAs held a discussion with Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar during the day over the state’s law and order situation.

    Claiming that lawlessness has become the order of the day in West Bengal, he claimed that women are being subjected to atrocities.

    “There seems to be no let up in political violence since the declaration of assembly poll results. We have informed the governor about incidents of attacks and atrocities on women.”

    “It will be wrong if anyone thinks that freedom of speech can be gagged in Bengal by launching attacks on opposition party workers and instituting false cases against them,” he said.

    The leader of opposition alleged that more than 17,000 BJP workers had been staying away from homes for over a month fearing attacks.

    Dhankhar, on his part, tweeted that Adhikari called on him and submitted a representation over the “alarming” law and order situation in the state.

    “Over 50 Opposition MLAs expressed serious concern at lawlessness @MamataOfficial and partisan stance @WBPolice @KolkataPolice and sought intervention as the situation was sliding. Governor assured the MLAs and LOP @SuvenduWB that he will look into grievances of which he is aware,” the governor wrote on the microblogging site.

    Meanwhile, TMC Chief Whip in Rajya Sabha Sukhendu Sekhar Roy said that Dhankhar had been trying to “play up the issue of post-poll violence to impress the BJP”.

    “The way he talks about post-poll violence, it seems the situation is similar to that which arose out of the Arab- Israel conflict. The governor is crossing all limits and prescribed norms,” the TMC leader maintained.

    Roy further pointed out that BJP leaders had made “provocative statements” in the run-up to the elections, but the governor hasn’t said much about it.

    “State BJP president (Dilip Ghosh) had talked about aiming guns at the chest of TMC workers and leaders. What about that?” he said.

    Making light of the BJP delegation’s visit to Raj Bhavan, Roy added, “As per our information, 24 MLAs did not attend the meeting. Why were they missing?” 

  • One-third BJP MLAs skip meeting with West Bengal Governor

    By Express News Service
    KOLKATA: At least 23 BJP MLAs out of 74, who were supposed to accompany Suvendu Adhikari, the Leader of Opposition in West Bengal Assembly, to Raj Bhavan on Monday, did not turn up. Among the absent legislators, many of them are known for their close proximity to Mukul Roy, BJP’s national vice-president who joined the TMC on Monday.

    Adhikari had asked all the MLAs to accompany him in Monday’s event at Raj Bhavan. “I’ve come here with 50 MLAs to hold a meeting with the governor. I gave him a memorandum regarding post-poll violence in the state and other issues,’’ said Adhikari after the meeting.

    Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar said Adhikari had handed over the memorandum attracting his attention towards four points which include anti-defection law, post-poll violence and communal tension at two places.

    Taking a jibe at the absence of BJP MLAs in the governor’s house, TMC’s Rajya Sabha MP and national spokesperson Sukhendu Sekhar Roy said, ‘’Where the other MLAs have gone? Why didn’t they accompany the Leader of Opposition?’’

    Sources in the BJP said all the newly elected MLAs were asked to be present with Adhikari. “They were supposed to accompany him. But it was shocking that nearly one-third of our MLAs did not bother to follow the instruction,’’ said a senior BJP leader.

    A section of the MLAs, who were not present in Raj Bhavan, already issued statements indirectly supporting Roy’s return to the TMC. They said the senior politician was sidelined in the BJP and he was not given the proper space in the party which led to his return to the ruling party.            

    MLAs like Biswajit Das from Bagdah, Sabyasachi Dutta from Rajarhat-New Town, Rabindranath Bhattacharya from Singur and Sunil Singh from Noapara were missing in the rows of the MLAs in Raj Bhavan. All these people are known for their close proximity to Roy. The saffron camp is fearing that many of the absent MLAs may follow Roy’s foot-print in near future.

  • Return of turncoats sparks uneasiness in Trinamool Congress also

    Express News Service
    KOLKATA: Mukul Roy’s ghar wapsi has sparked concerns not only in the BJP but also in West Bengal’s ruling Trinamool Congress. The worry in the BJP camp is over the possibility of more Trinamool Congress turncoats in the party following Roy’s footsteps.

    Meanwhile, the return of Roy and the possibility of others following him have caused unease among a section of TMC workers who are opposed to the induction of “traitors” who attacked the party while campaigning for the recent Assembly elections. 

    Concerns have mounted after former Trinamool Congress minister Rajib Banerjee, who is now in the saffron camp, held talks with TMC spokesperson Kunal Ghosh on Saturday. “Now he (Rajib) is criticising BJP for its divisive politics. But before the election, he organised a rally comprising Hindu hardliners and used the Election Commission against TMC workers in Domjur. He visited Kunal’s house but it doesn’t mean that he washed all his sins by taking a holy dip in the Ganges,” said Serampore Kalyan Banerjee, a TMC MP. Rajib contested from Domjur constituency for the BJP, but failed to win.

    There is also strong buzz that former TMC MLA Sabyasachi Dutta, who joined the BJP, is set to follow his mentor Roy into the party. It was Roy, who is known for his ability to poach functionaries from rival camps, who brought Dutta to the saffron party.

    Some in the TMC have already raised their voice against Dutta’s possible induction. TMC minister Sujit Bose is one of them. “The party will take the decision. But if the leadership wants to know my opinion, I will let them know my stance on his return,” said Dutta.

    Even when Dutta was in the TMC, a rift between him and Bose had surfaced on many occasions. While campaigning for the election, Dutta had aggressively attacked Bose. Not just Dutta and Rajib, at least eight MLAs and an MP from north Bengal are expected to jump ship to the Trinamool Conrgess as an after-effect of Roy’s return to his old battle-pitch.

  • BJP leader Rajib Banerjee meets Trinamool ranks over possible return to parent party

    By Express News Service
    KOLKATA: Less than 24 hours after Mukul Roy returned to the TMC, the saffron camp received another jolt on Saturday evening as BJP leader Rajib Banerjee, a former minister in Mamata’s cabinet, met TMC spokesperson Kunal Ghosh. The organizational foundation of the Bengal BJP, which largely rested on the shoulders of the turncoats from the Trinamool Congress, has been shaken to the core with many of them expressing a desire to return to their old party and a few even snapping all contacts with the saffron camp. 

    Some of the former TMC MLAs who joined the BJP have tendered their apologies to the Mamata Banerjee-led party.  According to sources, many of them have started skipping organizational meetings called by state BJP president Dilip Ghosh.  Rajib was among the state BJP members who criticized the demand from some in the party for the imposition of the president’s rule in West Bengal.

    After meeting Ghosh, Rajib said, “I oppose the demand for imposing presidential rule in Bengal. Because the ruling party has come to power with massive support. At the same time, I do not support the party’s Hindutva rhetoric.’’ 

    The crack in the saffron camp started widening rapidly after the party’s poor show in the recent Assembly elections. The BJP bagged 77 seats out of 292, far less than the 200 predicted by the big guns in the party.Soon after the election, former TMC MLAs Dipendu Biswas and Sonali Guha resigned from the BJP and said they wanted to return to the TMC. 

    With Roy’s returning to the TMC, the ruling party is expecting an exodus from the BJP When Roy was in Trinamool Bhavan on Friday, BJP’s state president Dilip Ghosh convened an organisation meeting in Bongaon, North 24 Parganas, which was skipped by three local MLAs and a local MP.

  • Wasn’t possible to carry on at saffron party, says Mukul Roy after rejoining TMC

    By Express News Service
    KOLKATA:  Sitting beside Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee on Friday, Mukul Roy made it clear that he could not continue in BJP and that is why he decided to return to his old party. The BJP’s national vice-president, who ended his three-year and nine-month stint in the saffron camp, said he would issue a statement on what made him quit.

    “It was not possible to continue in the BJP. I have returned to my old place. I will let everything be known in a written statement, elaborating why I took this decision,” said Roy. Welcoming Roy back into the fold, Mamata said: “He was unhappy in BJP. Also, he was not physically well.’’

    BJP functionaries in Bengal, who had followed Roy into the saffron party, said he was sidelined and left as nothing more than an MLA in Bengal’s political landscape. “Differences between Roy and (BJP’s state president) Dilip Ghosh became prominent on several occasions. He played a crucial role in the party’s impressive performance in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections when we won 18 of 42 seats.

    But he was not given any organisational responsibility in Bengal. The national vice-president post was an ornamental designation. He had no stake in the party’s electoral strategy before the Assembly elections,’’ said a BJP leader close to Roy.

    Roy’s unhappiness became clear after the Assembly election results. He skipped two meetings convened by Ghosh. Asked about that, Roy had said he was not informed about those meetings. Known for his skill in managing elections, Mamata’s one-trusted aide was not optimally used by BJP in the high-octane polls.

    “Instead, they fielded him in a constituency (Krishnagar North) which is far away from his hometown and not a place of his influence. It was basically aimed at confining him to the constituency from where he contested and won,” said the BJP leader.

  • Jolt to West Bengal BJP after Mukul Roy’s ‘ghar wapsi’ to TMC

    Express News Service
    KOLKATA: The BJP, which is still smarting from the poor show in the recently held Assembly election in West Bengal, on Friday received another jolt as its national vice-president Mukul Roy and his son Subhrangshu deserted the saffron party to rejoin the Trinamool Congress. Roy met West Bengal chief minister and TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee and her nephew Abhishek, the party’s national general secretary, at the party’s headquarters Trinamool Bhavan. 

    “Mukul is an old member of the TMC family and old is gold. The BJP had threatened and tortured him using central agencies. After coming back to the TMC, mental peace has returned to him. No one in Bengal can survive in the BJP. Mukul’s return is a reflection of the BJP’s intra-party oppression,’’ said Mamata.

    Roy was TMC’s national secretary and the second-in-command when he switched over to the BJP in 2017 after he was interrogated by the CBI and the ED in connection with the Saradha chit fund scam and the Narada sting operation case. 

    Roy’s return to the TMC was not entirely unexpected. Mamata’s soft stance on Roy during the election campaign had triggered speculation. While addressing a rally in Nandigram, from where Mamata contested and lost to Suvendu Adhikari, she said Roy was much better than Suvendu. Roy, too, refrained from launching a frontal attack against the TMC. 

    Endorsing the speculations, Mamata said, “Many others attacked the TMC and showed their cheap mentality, but Mukul was not like them.’’  After he was welcomed back to the TMC fold, Roy said, “I am happy to be in my old place. I could not continue in the BJP, so I decided to join the TMC.” 

    BJP state president Dilip Ghosh, however, sought to downplay Roy’s departure, saying, “With his presence, we did not get any dividend. What damage will be caused because of his defection?’’ TMC sources told this newspaper Roy’s old rivalry with Mamata’s nephew could dent his position in the party. “He was the second-in-command in the party. But later, he became unhappy with the rise of the CM’s nephew Abhishek. Now Abhishek is much more powerful as the national general secretary, which indicates the party’s line of succession.” 

  • Mukul Roy’s return to TMC will make no difference for BJP: Dilip Ghosh

    By PTI
    KOLKATA: Senior BJP leader Mukul Roy’s return to the TMC evoked mixed reactions in the saffron camp on Friday, with its state unit president Dilip Ghosh asserting that the move will have no impact on his organisation, and former MP Anupam Hazra claiming that “lobby politics at play is adversely affecting the party”.

    BJP state general secretary Joyprakash Majumder, on his part, extended his best wishes to Roy, and said that he should immediately quit all saffron party posts.

    “Mukul babu is a veteran leader, he is a known face in Bengal politics. We wish him the best in his new innings, but shouldn’t he forthwith quit from the primary membership and all other posts of the BJP? Shouldn’t he not resign as the MLA as he had won a seat on Lotus (BJP) symbol,” Majumder said.

    Roy along with son Subrangshu was on Friday cordially welcomed back to the TMC by party supremo and Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and other senior leaders.

    He had quit the TMC in 2015, after being removed from the post of the party’s national general secretary, and sucsequently joined the BJP two years later.

    Ghosh, while talking to reporters, said to he was not sure if the BJP would lose anything from Roy’s decision, given that he was “unsure whether we gained anything” from his entry three-and-half years back.

    “Right now, we are bothered about more serious issues as the cycle of violence goes on unabated in the state.

    We are bothered about the safety of our workers, who are being targeted by TMC activists,” he added.

    Hazra, earlier in the day, said lobby politics with the saffron camp has led to such a situation, hours before Roy made his re-entry in the Mamata Banerjee camp.

    Taking to Twitter, he contended that it was high time that the state unit of the BJP put an end to the practice and utilise leaders according to their merit.

    The former MP, who had switched over from the TMC to the BJP in 2018, however, asserted that he will continue to be a part of the saffron camp under all circumstances.

    “Too much importance has been accorded to one or two leaders while ignoring and humiliating the rest.

    That has led to the present sad situation.

    There is also no trace of the royal passengers who had taken a chartered flight,” the academic-turned-politician, who had unsuccessfully contested the Lok Sabha polls in 2019, said.

    Hazra was possibly referring to TMC turncoats Baishali Dalmiya, Rajib Banerjee and Prabir Ghosal, who had taken a chartered flight to Union Home Minister Amit Shahs residence in Delhi earlier this year.

    He further said, “Please don’t give me the tag of a disgruntled leader for this post. I am with the BJP and will remain in the BJP. But the dirty lobby politics should come to an end. This is all I want.”

    A section of state BJP leaders are of the view that Roy and other senior leaders, including Sabyasachi Dutta, were not accorded due importance by the saffron party top brass during the assembly elections, and only a handful of leaders, such as Suvendu Adhikari and actor-turned-politician Mithun Chakraborty were given all responsibilities.

    Hinting he was not made a part of important meetings, Hazra said, “Hoping to get an invite to state unit meetings of the BJP as per protocol.”