Mukul Roy & son Subhrangshu “returns” to Trinamool Congress from BJP

Mukul Roy, Bharatiya Janata Party vice-president, joined the Trinamool Congress along with his son Subhrangshu Roy today. The Trinamool’s national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee welcomed them to the party in the presence of party chief Mamata Banerjee.

Roy, once the national general secretary of the Trinamool Congress, had left the party and joined BJP in 2017. His son, Subhrangshu followed suit.

Mukul Roy and Subhrangshu Roy reached Trinamool Congress headquarters earlier today and started a meeting with Mamata Banerjee. Abhishek Banerjee too was present at the meeting apart from the party’s senior leaders such as Subrata Bakshi, Subrata Mukherjee, Firhad Hakim, Javed Khan, Partha Chatterjee, among others.

At a press conference during which the “joining” formally took place, Mamata Banerjee said that some others (who had left the party and are keen to join) will be taken back. “We will not take back those who have been traitors and who tried to harm the party prior to the elections. But there are some who have not done that, who have been gentle and we have no problem with them,” Banerjee said, adding that others will also join. She however, did not mention anyone in particular. Banerjee said that some Trinamool leaders had left the party along with Roy and there is possibility that they too would like to “return” now.

Banerjee added that Roy would be given important position in the party, and he would continue to work like before.  Mukul Roy himself did not elaborate why he was back in Trinamool. He said he would give a written press release to the media why he “could not work” with the BJP and wanted to “be back” with his former party, which was like a home for him.

Mukul Roy and his son had both contested in the Assembly polls of 2021, representing the BJP. Mukul Roy had won from Krishnanagar Uttar constituency, but his son Subhrangshu who had contested from Bijpur could not win. Since the landslide victory of the Trinamool Congress led by Mamata Banerjee, there have been voices of dissent from among many who had joined the BJP from Trinamool Congress, criticising “policies” of the saffron party that led to such “disaster”.

There are speculations that many who had left Trinamool are keen to join back Mamata Banerjee’s party. However, till now, there has been no stated position of Banerjee that has been publicly announced. She herself will decide whether or not to allow the leaders to rejoin her party.

Now that Mukul Roy and his son are back in the Trinamool, it is to be seen what role he plays in the party in the coming days, and who else joins the party in the next few days and weeks.