Mukul Roy’s son making the party weak from within, allege TMC leaders
The pressure on Subhranshu Roy began mounting after he stayed away from a public meeting in Kolkata on November 13 where Trinamool Congress leaders were supposed to criticise Mukul Roy.
Within a few days of former railway minister Mukul Roy quitting Trinamool Congress, it seems the exit of his son and party MLA Subhranshu Roy may be just a matter of time. Bengal’s ruling party ministers and district leaders have mounted pressure on him alleging he is making the party weak from inside, and local leaders in his Bijpur constituency have even removed banners featuring the photo of the 31-year-old MLA.
Mukul Roy, 63, joined BJP in Delhi on November 3. Just the next day, Subhranshu Roy, 34, a two-time Trinamool MLA from Bijpur constituency, said that his political loyalty lies with chief minister Mamata Banerjee.
Read: Mukul Roy’s son to stay in Trinamool; says Mamata Banerjee is supreme leader
But things started changing fast Mukul Roy, in his first public meeting as a BJP leader on November 10, raised several allegations against chief minister’s nephew and Trinamool MP, Abhishek Banerjee. Roy accused Banerjee of owning Biswa Bangla brand and logo that are aggressively promoted by the state government.
Ruling party leaders became furious when Subhranshu Roy stayed away from a public meeting organised by Trinamool Yuva on November 13 in Kolkata, where replying to Mukul Roy’s allegations was an important objective.
North 24 Parganas district president of Trinamool Congress and the food minister in Mamata Banerjee’ cabinet, Jyotipriyo Mullick told HT staying away from the party meeting without proper reasons and intimation amounted to breach of party discipline. “None can do it. Anyway, we are not taking Subhransu seriously any more,” Mullick said.
Read: Mukul Roy targets Mamata Banerjee, nephew; she responds at Kolkata film festival
“He is playing a hide and seek game with party as his father did before,” alleged the minister.
After remaining incommunicado for a few days, Subhransu Roy spoke to HT but did not comment on his absence from the November 13 public meeting. However, he said he was unwell and therefore, could not attend two party meetings on November 21.
“There were two meetings -- one of the TMC MLAs in the Assembly premises, and the other one was convened by Jyotipriyo Mullick where he invited all party MLAs in North 24 Parganas district to discuss the arrangement for the administrative review meeting of chief minister in the district on December 1. I wrote to the party that I was unwell and would not be able to attend the meeting in the Assembly. Naturally for the same reason I could not attend the other meeting,” said Subhransu Roy.
Read: Mukul Roy’s saffron robes are a mark of BJP’s desperation
“However, even if I am not well, I will attend the chief minister’s administrative meeting in Haroa in north 24 Parganas on December 1,” Roy added.
Arjun Singh, Trinamool MLA from Bhatpara constituency that is adjacent to Bijpur, was more critical than Mullick.
“Subhransu is following the tradition of his family of weakening the party from inside. The son is trying to follow his father’s footsteps. But he will not be successful,” Singh said.
Roy’s immediate neighbourhood has changed too. At Kanchrapara municipality under Bijpur assembly constituency, all posters carrying Subhransu’s pictures have been removed and replaced by posters carrying pictures of Mamata Banerjee and Abhishek Banerjee.
“Mamata Banerjee is the only leader Kanchrapara knows. So party posters will not have pictures of anyone else,” said Sujit Das, councillor of the civic body.