Amid reports that senior Trinamool Congress leader Mukul Roy was planning to split the party with a large number of MlAs and MPs going to his side, Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Saturday embarked upon clipping the party general secretary’s wings by divesting him of all-India responsibilities and appointing other senior leaders in his place.
In order to put more pressure on Roy, Banerjee also appointed party MP Subrata Bakshi as the additional all-India general secretary “to assist Mukul Roy in his work.” Curiously, while announcing Bakshi’s name Banerjee rued “Mukul should have been present on Saturday as I depend a lot on him for various things. Now that he is not here I will look after the organisational work myself.”
When asked as to explain the reason of his absence from the crucial meeting at Banerjee’s Kalighat residence, Roy, however, said he was busy with other party works and had taken a leave accordingly with the knowledge and permission of the party.
The Chief Minister who had not spoken to Roy for more than a week now made former Railway Minister Dinesh Trivedi and MP Kalyan Banerjee the vice presidents of the party whereas Tamluk MP Sbuhendu Adhikary was given the charge of the North East. Veteran leader Subroto Mukherjee was made the observer for Tripura. The ongoing CBI probe in the multi-crore Saradha chit fund scam had driven a wedge between the two senior most and founder leaders of the party particularly after reports that Roy had divulged crucial information on some top leaders’ involvement in the scam.