Sidelined by his party, Trinamool Congress Rajya Sabha Member Mukul Roy is likely quit his outfit and join the Congress in mid-June, sources in the Pradesh Congress said on Sunday.
The former Trinamool number two, who had been rendered into a “non-functioning functionary” in his party amid his differences with Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee over Saradha chit fund issue, had reportedly spoken to the top Congress leaders, including Rahul Gandhi expressing his willingness to join the party. He could be joining the Congress sometime mid-June when Gandhi would visit Kolkata, sources said.
On whether Roy had approached the Congress leadership, PCC president Adhir Chowdhury said, “Mukul Roy has spoken to the top leaders and it is up to them to take a decision.” On whether the Congress would be benefited by Roy’s entry into the party, Chowdhury said, “He is a good organiser who had connected to the grassroots and got translated the popularity of Mamata Banerjee into votes otherwise she could not have won the elections.
“We hope he would be a good gain for our party if he is allowed an entry here,” the PCC president said refuting suggestions that embroiling of Roy’s name in Saradha controversy would have a bearing on Congress’ image.
“First of all he has not approached us with any request to stand for him in the Saradha case. Secondly, Congress is firm believer in letting law take its own course. Finally, Roy has only been quizzed once by the CBI. He has neither been arrested, nor has his guilt been proved. If we keep him away then, we also have to consider as to how leaders of other parties had been grilled by the CBI,” the PCC president said.
Earlier, Roy met veteran Congress leader and main petitioner in the Saradha case, Abdul Mannan, upon whose petition CBI investigation was ordered by the Supreme Court.
“Yes he met me and our Rajya Sabha MP Pradip Bhattacharya. Though he would talk about joining the Congress it seemed that he was willing to come to this party,” Mannan said.
“It is interesting to see mysterious things happening in Bengal. While, on the one hand, the BJP leaders like Babul Supriyo are praising Mamata Banerjee, who according to her jailed MP Kunal Ghosh in the biggest beneficiary of Saradha’s media business, on the other hand Congress is tilting towards Mukul Roy — a team mate of the Chief Minister. It seems there is a deal and a plan to jeopardize the chit fund probe. But people will not take it lying down,” said CPI(M)’s Sujan Chakrabarty.