Kolkata: Veteran Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader Mukul Roy’s sudden “disappearance” after leaving his Kolkata office Monday evening before he showed up at the Delhi airport a few hours later has got the political circles abuzz in West Bengal.
What has added to the suspense is BJP national secretary Anupam Hazra’s cryptic one-word tweet in Bengali which translates to “returning”.
— Dr. Anupam Hazra 🇮🇳 (@tweetanupam) April 18, 2023
His son and former MLA Subrangshu Roy rushed to the airport police station Monday night to lodge a missing complaint. Moments later, Subrangshu claimed he learnt from the media that his father was heading to New Delhi.
A video of Roy, coming out of the Delhi airport with an assistant by his side carrying a small bag, went viral. “Can I not come to New Delhi? I was an MP; I am an MLA. I often visit Delhi. If I have come here, I will also get a health check-up (done),” he is heard saying in the video clip.
Addressing the media Tuesday morning, Subrangshu claimed that his father is unwell and suffers from dementia and that he himself was trying to gather a sense of his father’s sudden Delhi trip.
“My father underwent a brain surgery in March. He has dementia, diabetes. He’s not well, he said, adding that his father had a meagre monthly income. “…then how did he get money to buy tickets and go to Delhi. The Kolkata Police is helping me, but the Delhi Police isn’t cooperating. They could have de-boarded him and sent him back.”
After a brain surgery in March, Roy has been staying away from active politics. Considered a close aide of TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee before a fallout in 2017, the former railway minister once was number two in the Trinamool.
Subrangshu even hinted at a political conspiracy targeting the TMC top leadership. “This is an attempt to politicise the incident and malign Abhishek Banerjee, who is leading the TMC. My father cannot even say what the current political updates are across the country. There has been some monetary transaction and attempt to target my family,” he alleged.
His phone remained switched off. In fact, Subrangshu claimed he was unable to get in touch with his father.
“…what he says, his health status, whether he remembers anything, or forgotten things… (all) this is very difficult for me to comment on. It isn’t possible for me as a spokesperson to comment if he is joining another party or is unwell,” TMC spokesperson Kunal Ghosh quipped.
While Roy had joined the BJP in 2017 following differences with the party leadership, the father-son duo had returned to the TMC following the 2021 Bengal elections on 11 June. He was then appointed the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) chairman even though on paper he remained a BJP MLA from Krishnanagar Uttar.
In June 2022, he resigned from the PAC chairman post as the BJP started cornering him. Roy wasn’t seen in any public meeting or playing an active political role after joining back the TMC.
“He has been missing for a long time. Have you seen him anywhere? He is a tall political figure and a sitting MLA, but there is no news about him. It’s a lost case because no one cares about him anymore. I wish him good health,” BJP vice-president Dilip Ghosh told ThePrint.
In the BJP, Roy along with then Bengal in charge Kailash Vijayvargiya were given the responsibility to strengthen the BJP to take on the Trinamool. Roy’s bitter fallout with the TMC was seen as an advantage for the BJP that was fighting tooth and nail against Mamata’s party.
(Edited by Tony Rai)