Once considered as the No. 2 in the TMC, when he was the party supremo and West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee’s close aide, Roy, following his defection to the BJP, went on to become the top saffron party leader in West Bengal.
He is not in the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) but he is a BJP MLA. Mukul Roy’s case is getting curiouser: One year after he defected from the BJP back to the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC), Roy continues to be a BJP MLA and remains at the centre of a raging row over his status as a legislator.
Once considered as the No. 2 in the TMC, when he was the party supremo and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s close aide, Roy, following his defection to the BJP, went on to become the top saffron party leader in West Bengal.
Ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, Roy resigned froms the TMC and joined the BJP where he later became the party national vice-president.
However, in June last year, barely one month after the state Assembly polls clinched by the Mamata-led TMC for the third consecutive time, Roy returned to the party. Notwithstanding the TMC’s sweep in the polls, he had won his own seat from the Krishnanagar (North) constituency in Nadia district on the BJP ticket.
The controversy erupted after his return to the TMC fold, when the Bengal Assembly Speaker, Biman Banerjee, named him as the head of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC), a post that is traditionally allotted to an Opposition nominee.
As Roy did not resign as the MLA, Leader of the Opposition in the Assembly, Suvendu Adhikari, moved a disqualification petition against him before the Speaker under the anti-defection law. In February, the Speaker dismissed Adhikari’s plea, following which he challenged the former’s order in the Calcutta High Court. Roy remained as the BJP legislator and the PAC chairman.
On April 11, the high court set aside the Speaker’s order and restored the matter for his fresh consideration. A division bench of Chief Justice Prakash Srivastava and Rajarshi Bharadwaj passed the order, reportedly asking the Speaker to take a decision on the press conference held on June 11 last year, where Roy joined the TMC, as “evidence”.
Adhikari then contended that Speaker Banerjee’s decision to allow Roy to retain the MLA’s position was practically rejected by the court.
On April 11, the high court set aside the Speaker’s order and restored the matter for his fresh consideration. A division bench of Chief Justice Prakash Srivastava and Rajarshi Bharadwaj passed the order, reportedly asking the Speaker to take a decision on the press conference held on June 11 last year, where Roy joined the TMC, as “evidence”.
Adhikari then contended that Speaker Banerjee’s decision to allow Roy to retain the MLA’s position was practically rejected by the court.
On his part, Ghosh said, “Mukul Roy is in BJP. But, TMC is a large-hearted party. If any old friend comes at our doorstep, we always welcome him and give him water.”
Source:indianexpress.com