Will Mukul Roy play a key role in Trinamool's national expansion plans?

Mukul Roy, former national vice-president of both BJP and Trinamool Congress, on Saturday, had a closed-door meeting with Trinamool’s newly-appointed national general secretary, Abhishek Banerjee. Although both Roy and Banerjee remained tight-lipped over the agenda of the meeting, highly placed Trinamool Congress sources, on strict condition of anonymity, said that the meeting had a three-pronged agenda.

Kolkata: A day after his ceremonial retreat to the Trinamool Congress camp from BJP, Mukul Roy, former national vice-president of both BJP and Trinamool Congress, on Saturday, had a closed-door meeting with Trinamool’s newly-appointed national general secretary, Abhishek Banerjee. Although both Roy and Banerjee remained tight-lipped over the agenda of the meeting, highly placed Trinamool Congress sources, on strict condition of anonymity, said that the meeting had a three-pronged agenda.

“After Roy's return, many other BJP leaders, mainly those who were confidants of Roy expressed the desire to toe his lines. The first agenda of Saturday’s meeting was an initial discussion on the probable list of such leaders who can be accommodated back,” a senior Trinamool Congress leader said.

The second agenda, according to him, was what would be the post and role of Mukul Roy in the party so that he can play a key role in Trinamool Congress’s national expansion. “There are assembly elections in six states in 2022. Roy’s advice and strategy are crucial on the possible role that Trinamool Congress can play in the forthcoming elections in these six states. And to play a key role in the national expansion plans, Roy has to be given a national berth,” he said.

According to him, Roy is currently an elected BJP legislator from Krishnagar (North) assembly constituency. “There is a possibility that he might resign from that seat and our leadership might try to get his son Suvrangshu Roy elected from that constituency. At the same time, the party can get Roy elected in Rajya Sabha to put him in national relevance,” the Trinamool leaders said.

The third and final agenda was relating to Bengali- dominated state in northeast India, Tripura, which is going for assembly polls in 2023. “As BJP is currently in power in Tripura and much of its current organization strength there is because of Roy who was instrumental in breaking away senior Trinamool leaders in the state to strengthen the saffron network in Tripura. In fact, it was Roy only for whom at one point of time Trinamool substantially strengthened its network there when senior leaders from Congress joined Trinamool. Now in Saturday’s meeting, it was also discussed on how Roy can resurrect Trinamool’s network in Tripura,” the Trinamool leader said.