Sovon Chatterjee’s fallout with Mamata Banerjee is due to his regular contact with BJP’s Mukul Roy: Trinamool insiders

West Bengal minister Sovon Chatterjee, stepped down as the state housing and fire services minister on Tuesday. Chief minister Mamata Banerjee announced this at the state secretariat, Nabanna, adding that Chatterjee had been asked to resign as the Kolkata Mayor as well.

She said that Chatterjee had tendered his resignation earlier on four occasions but the resignation hadn’t been accepted in the hope that he would change his mind. But this time, the resignation had been accepted.

There is a general perception that the Trinamool Congress chief was upset with Sovon Chatterjee because of his marital discord and the fact that he was publicly seen with a woman who is not his wife. Chatterjee has filed for divorce from his wife Ratna. He had apparently been asked to change his ways and to concentrate on work. There is a common perception that Chatterjee’s personal life was causing the party a lot of embarrassment.

However, sources in the Trinamool Congress say that this is not the “real” reason behind Mamata Banerjee’s wrath. Trinamool insiders say that Chatterjee has regularly been in touch with Mukul Roy, former Trinamool Congress leader who joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

Roy had been a dedicated Trinamool Congress leader since its very inception. In fact, he was founder member of the Trinamool Congress. However, he fell out with Banerjee and joined the BJP in November 2017.

There were speculations within the Trinamool Congress that Roy had a compulsion to quit the party because his name figured in the Saradha chit fund scam and he was also seen on the Narada tapes. Roy had appeared before the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in connection with the Saradha chit fund scam case. After he joined the BJP however, Mukul Roy said that “the law will take its course”, when asked about the cases.

Was Sovon Chatterjee being compelled to follow Roy’s footsteps? That has been the question in the minds of Trinamool Congress senior leadership.

Chatterjee’s estranged wife Ratna has questioned his source of income. His income and property has been under the scanner for some time. The CBI and Enforcement Directorate (ED) are both looking at his assets and allegations of money laundering. The ED has also questioned Ratna on several occasions in this connection last year.

Under this backdrop, the Trinamool Congress chief is said to have learned from sources about Chatterjee being in constant touch with BJP leader Mukul Roy. It is not known whether the chief minister has asked him to maintain a safe distance from Roy, but the fact remains that she has made it clear on several occasions before her party leaders that being in touch with BJP leaders won’t be tolerated. Chatterjee was not available for comment.

Trinamool insiders say that Sovon Chatterjee had long been looking for an opportunity to snap ties with the party. His personal life may have been discussed publicly for very long, but the reasons behind his fallout with Mamata Banerjee is certainly political, said a Trinamool Congress leader.

Therefore, it is a matter of time before the speculations begin on whether he is the next in line to follow Mukul Roy’s footsteps about warming up to the BJP.