TMC leader Mukul Roy in Delhi amid buzz on joining BJP; son claims he is missing
Mukul Roy’s son and TMC leader Subhranshu claimed that dirty politics was being played with his ailing father and efforts were on to malign party general secretary Abhishek Banerjee
Speculations are rife in West Bengal that Mukul Roy, one of the founding members of the Trinamool Congress (TMC), is likely to join the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) once again after he was spotted in Delhi on Monday night, hours after his son and TMC leader Subhranshu lodged a complaint with the Bidhannagar police claiming that his father was ‘missing’.
The rumours of Roy joining the BJP were fuelled by a social media post by Anupam Hazra, BJP’s national general secretary and a former member of Parliament, who wrote “the return” on Tuesday. “Anything may happen in politics. Please wait to see,” Hazra told the media.
“Can’t I come to Delhi? I am an MP and MLA. There is no special reason behind my Delhi visit,” Roy was seen telling a woman at the Delhi airport.
Meanwhile, the Kolkata airport police have started a probe on the basis of the missing diary lodged by the leader’s son. A local BJP leader Piyush Kanoria was also summoned for questioning.
After leaving his home, Roy headed for Kolkata airport and boarded a flight for Delhi around 7.45pm. Subhranshu said two people had taken the veteran politician to the national capital without informing the family. While one was Mukul’s driver, another was his attendant.
Subhranshu said that after his father left for Delhi, he remained untraceable as his phone was switched off. The mobile phones of both the driver and the attendant were also switched off. He also said that an agency in Delhi had sent ₹50,000 to Mukul though one person. “He didn’t have any money. Where did he get the money to buy air tickets?” he said.
HT tried to get in touch with Mukul Roy. While one of his phones was switched off, another was not reachable.
Subhranshu told the media on Tuesday morning that “dirty politics” was being played with his ailing father and efforts were on to malign Abhishek Banerjee, TMC’s national general secretary and chief minister Mamata Banerjee’s nephew.
“My father is almost 70 years old, and suffers from multiple ailments including dementia and Parkinson’s disease. He had to undergo surgery and takes 18 medicines every day. Dirty politics is being played with him. The target is to malign Abhishek Banerjee,” the son said.
He said that Mamata Banerjee has been apprised of the developments and she is closely monitoring it. “She had called twice to enquire,” he said.
“Whether he is ill or fit, whether he is mentally sound or unsound, whether he is with the TMC or BJP are high level discussions. It is not possible for a small spokesperson like for me to comment,” Kunal Ghosh, TMC spokesperson, told the media.
Roy joined the BJP in 2017 after he was named as an accused in the Narada sting operation case and his fallout with chief minister Mamata Banerjee. He was also suspended from the party for six years. Soon after he joined the BJP, he was made its national vice-president. In 2021, he, however, returned to the TMC after winning the assembly elections on a BJP ticket. His son followed in his footsteps.
