MP Mukul Roy will leave as MP after Puja

News
Sep 25 2017 12:22 PM
News Track

MP Mukul Roy will leave as MP after Puja

Senior Trinamool Congress leader and Rajya Sabha MP Mukul Roy on Monday announced his decision to resign from the working committee and primary membership of the party.

"Today, I will resign from the working committee of the Trinamool Congress... I will resign as Rajya Sabha MP after the pujas," Mr Roy said in a hurriedly called press conference.

One of most high-flying leaders of the Trinamool Congress, Mr Roy, who also served as Railway Minister, was associated with the party since its beginning in January 1998. Till a few years ago, he was considered the second most influential leader after party chairperson Mamata Banerjee.

Mr. Roy told journalists that he will give details for the decision after the Durga Puja festival.

Over the past few years, Mr Roy was being push in the party. Apart from being detached as party's vice president, he was removed from a number of Parliamentary Committees.

Trinamool's strong warning of Roy tags on reports that he had called on a Union minister on Thursday night. Sources said Roy — a frequent visitor to Rail Bhavan, where he was once minister — had been calling on Piyush Goyal, his predecessor Suresh Prabhu, finance minister Arun Jaitley, home minister Rajnath Singh and even BJP national president Amit Shah.

On September 13, Roy had also called on President Ram Nath Kovind in his personal capacity.

Roy doesn't deny some of these visits but claims his Rail Bhavan trips are aimed at fast-tracking pending railway projects in North 24 Parganas.

BJP rubbished suggestions that Roy has been hobnobbing with its central leadership to gain a toehold in the party. Kailash Vijayvargiya, its national secretary and Bengal-in-charge, said: "BJP has nothing to do with Mukul Roy. These are all internal Trinamool Congress squabbles. Why will we get involved in such foggy affairs? Indicted in the Narada scam, they are now busy speaking in different voices. BJP will have nothing to do with this."