'Mamata took Shahjahan's name, but never mentioned mine': Disgruntled TMC MLA Tapas Roy quits

In a major setback to the Trinamool Congress just before the Lok Sabha elections, the party's veteran leader Tapas Roy tendered his resignation from the post as well as from the party on Sunday.

Kolkata:Barely 48 hours after Trinamool Congress general secretary Kunal Ghosh's resignation from the party, another senior party leader and Baranagar MLA Tapas Roy today quit TMC saying he was "getting isolated" in the party.

State education minister Bratya Basu and Kunal Ghosh rushed to Roy's residence earlier in the day in a desperate attempt to placate the leader's anger and resentment. But, as the day progressed it became evident that Roy was in no mood to reconsider his decision. Soon after Bratya and Kunal left, Roy told reporters that he was "disappointed" at the party's ways of handling things.

"There is so much corruption in the party. Then this Sandeshkhali incident. Added to that was my personal humiliation, insult, disrespect and alienation - all these were hounding me. For the past some time, I was maintaining distance from Trinamool Congress," said the Baranagar MLA.

"This is the first time in so many years that I have not attended the budget session properly. I feel that one should be spontaneous and wholehearted in any work one does. I was associated with the Trinamool Congress for the past 24 years. Officers of the Enforcement Directorate had come to my house on a raid on January 12 last. No one from the party called me during those tough times, though some senior leaders were attending a function in Swami Vivekananda's house, nearby. No one came to extend any consoling hands to my family," Tapas Roy said adding, "The situation in this party is such that while Kunal and Bratya were sitting before me this morning, party leader Subrata Bakshi served a show cause notice to Kunal."

Taking his tirade against the Trinamool a notch higher, Roy said, "I have come to know from various quarters that some persons in my own party were behind the ED raids at my house. It was extremely disheartening when I saw that the Chief Minister mentioned the issue of Sandeshkhali and took the name of Sheikh Shahjahan during her speech in the Assembly, but never mentioned my name. I really expected that she would at least mention the raid at my house for once, like she says about all others. I was hurt by that."

"No one has ever questioned my integrity and truthfulness in politics. If my own party goes against me, then it becomes very unfortunate. It has been 52 days since the ED raids at my premises, but I am yet to get a call from Mamata Banerjee. This has made my heart heavy," Roy said.

The disgruntled Trinamool Congress legislator had joined truck with Kunal Ghosh only last Saturday in vehemently opposing any move by the party to renominate Sudip Bandopadhyay from the Kolkata North Lok Sabha seat. Roy had been a known critic of Sudip with both leaders earlier crossing swords over several other issues.

Later on Tapas Roy reached the Assembly and handed over his resignation as member to Speaker Biman Bandopadhyay. Keeping all guessing, Roy said outside the Assembly building that he was a "free bird" now and will soon take a call on his political future.

The resignation of Tapas Roy and Kunal Ghosh has created a whirlpool of sorts in the Trinamool Congress with elections approaching. Party president and Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee or party's national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee.