KOLKATA: Speculation is rife about ruling TMC Rajya Sabha MP and the party’s former national general secretary Mukul Roy floating a new party, according to a state Intelligence Branch report submitted to the Home Department.
The report, which was sought by Chief Minister and TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee, stated in detail Mukul’s meetings with senior leaders of several political parties, including Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitely and Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh. It also referred to his recent meeting with prominent minority leader Towa Siddiqquie of Phurphura Sharief in Hooghly district, during which Mukul spoke about not much being done for the development of minorities in West Bengal even by the incumbent TMC Government.
The secret report was drafted after the state Intelligence were directed to “work out” Mukul’s political activities both here and in New Delhi. It also mentioned Mukul’s meeting with Shahi Imam of Jama Masjid in New Delhi. Moreover, the dossier identified at least seven MPs and several MLAs, who resented the sudden rise of Mamata’s Lok Sabha MP nephew Abhisekh Banerjee, considered “number two” in the TMC now.
The TMC has already suspended two TMC MLAs for attending an ‘iftaar’ party hosted by Mukul here. Even before Mamata became Chief Minister, it was Mukul, who handled the entire party organisation and liaised with the TMC leaders in 341 blocks in West Bengal as well as with the leaders of other political parties across the country. He was in fact the driving force within the state administration, particularly in matters relating to the posting of senior police officials and Mamata’s “man of confidence” who actually ran the administration from Trinamool Bhavan, the party’s headquarters here.
However, the rift between Didi and Mukul started after Mukul willingly went to the regional CBI headquarters after he was summoned on January 30 for questioning in connection with the multi-crore Saradha scam. He did not toe the official TMC line to call it a “BJP conspiracy” and stated that he wanted the scam to be probed since several lakh people had been duped. He also did not reveal to Mamata what he had told the sleuths.
Within a week, Mukul was removed as national general secretary and Leader of the Party in the Rajya Sabha and relegated to the bank benches in the House. Mukul’s fate was sealed when during the TMC’s mega event-- the public meeting on July 21 to observe Martyrs’ Day-- he was conspicuously absent and Abhisekh took centre stage. “For Mukul, it’s now clear that he has been replaced by Abhisekh, who is being groomed, and he no longer has any future in the TMC though he had built the party from the scratch,” a senior TMC leader told Express on Thursday.
Mukul observed the Martyrs’ Day at his own bungalow in New Delhi and sought to justify his absence saying that the Monsoon session of Parliament had got under way.
However, Mukul’s political future is uncertain as no national political party-- the BJP, the Congress or the CPM-- is willing to allow him to join their ranks.