Roy criticises party leadership for bias, hints at announcing big decision today; likely to join BJP
Bengali cine star-turned Trinamool Congress MP Shatabdi Roy on Friday said she was going to Delhi where “it may not be out of ordinary to meet big politicians” like Home Minister Amit Shah.
Roy on Thursday set off ripples in the party ranks after posting a cryptic Facebook message dropping hints about a “decision” that she might take by “2 pm on January 16”.
In Delhi, Amit Shah met senior BJP leaders from West Bengal to discuss strategy for the coming Assembly elections. Sate BJP chief Dilip Ghosh and senior leaders like Mukul Roy and Kailash Vijayvargiya were among those who called on Shah.
Even as Bengal BJP spokesperson Samik Bhattacharya said that senior politicians were welcome in his party if they changed their ideology, Roy came out more vociferously on Friday condemning her party leadership for partisan ways.
“There is no point approaching the topmost TMC leadership with one’s issues as there is no surety that they will be redressed … besides you do not know whether you will get chased for this or not,” Roy said hours after resigning as the chairperson of Tarapeeth Development Authority.
She was asked as to why she was not taking up her issues with Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.
Reacting to the matter, senior party MP Saugato Roy said, “Shatabdi has nothing against the Chief Minister …and all other issues can be addressed … though I think she will not quit the party.”
Whether the three-time Birbhum MP would be joining the BJP on Saturday was not made clear by her but the actor-turned politician considered close to senior Bengal Minister Subroto Mukherjee said she would “take a decision in Delhi.”
On whether she would meet Amit Shah, she said, “I can’t say because it is not out of ordinary to meet big politicians like him.” Earlier she said, “If I take a decision, then I will let you know at 2 pm on the 16th of January.”
Her Thursday Fan Club post reads: “It feels as if some people do not want that I go to you. I am not informed about many programmes. If I am not informed, how can I go? This is causing me mental anguish.”
Roy, who was available for comments to the media outside her residence, however, could not be contacted by senior leaders like Sudip Bandopadhyay and Derek O Brien over telephone, party sources said.
Former party MP and spokesperson Kunal Ghosh met her for more than two hours at her residence.
“It was a casual meeting though we talked some politics,” Ghosh said adding she might go to Delhi but I am not sure about that.”
Shatabdi Roy episode apart, there is more to the ongoing battle of attrition between Trinamool Congress and challenger BJP. North Bengal Development Minister Gautam Deb too is now speaking in a dissenting voice about the state of affairs in his party.
And he is joined by another rebel Minister Rajib Banerjee who has not attended Cabinet meeting on occasions consecutively. Banerjee, a powerful Minister, has already said that he will give some live performance on the Facebook on Saturday noon, incidentally when Roy will take her “decision.”
The TMC is already tormented by a number of desertions that started from Ministers Suvendu Adhikari, Laxmi Ratan Shukla, MP Sunil Mandal MLAs Mihir Goswami, Silbhadra Dutta and others.
