Mukul Roy Is Just The First To Exit From The Trinamool, More Waiting In The Wings

The exit of Mukul Roy, once the number two in the Trinamool Congress, from that party was hardly surprising. It is well known that Roy, a co-founder of the party and, till just a few days ago its national vice-president, had a fall-out with party supremo Mamata Banerjee in 2015. Since then, he has been systematically marginalised within the party and divested of all responsibilities. It was, thus, a question of not if, but when, Roy would quit the party.

There is no denying that Roy’s exit from the Trinamool, though widely expected, will have some adverse effect on the party. Roy has been known for his superb organisational skills and for his poll management. He was considered a master strategist in the party and steered the Trinamool to many poll victories. He, single-handedly, used to manage the party’s organisational affairs till two years ago and knew almost all party workers by name.

Roy was also the party’s liaison man with political parties and politicians in other states and in Delhi. Banerjee, due to her lack of communication skills, used to rely solely on Roy to engage with other parties outside Bengal. Roy was also the man who would soothe egos and feathers ruffled by Banerjee. He was the Bhisma pitamah of sorts in the Trinamool.

What’s more, Roy used to control the party’s purse strings and was responsible for building the party’s coffers. Donations from businessmen and corporate houses used to be routed through him. As such, he is privy to many ‘secrets’ of the Trinamool and his exit would be disconcerting to many in the party. Banerjee, too, would definitely be uncomfortable with the fact that a person who knew many dirty secrets of the party has parted ways and may join a rival party.

The fallout between Banerjee and her right-hand man happened after the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into the Saradha scam, a chit fund racket that robbed lakhs of poor and middle-class families of their life’s savings. Many top Trinamool leaders are alleged to have received huge sums of money from the chit fund company before it went bust. Like many others leaders of the Trinamool, Roy was also questioned by the CBI in early 2015.

The rift with Banerjee happened just after his interrogation by the CBI when rumours started circulating that Roy spilled the beans to the CBI. Roy reportedly divulged many secrets of the party to his interrogators and implicated other Trinamool leaders in a bid to save his own skin. These rumours gained credence when some Trinamool leaders Roy is believed to have implicated in the scam were arrested but Roy himself was never taken into custody. It was widely believed that Roy gave the CBI evidence about his party colleagues’ involvement in the scam in exchange for immunity from arrest.

These rumours and subsequent developments led to a trust deficit developing between Banerjee and Roy. Other senior leaders of the party were quick to take advantage of it and get close to Banerjee. “Many leaders who joined the Trinamool later poisoned Mamata’s ears against Mukulda. Didi (Mamata) believed the baseless rumours they circulated about Mukulda and Didi started avoiding Mukulda and divesting him of posts and responsibilities,” said a close aide of Roy.

The fallout between Banerjee and Roy led to him being sidelined and marginalised in the party. He was kept away from important meetings and a few months ago, was replaced in the Parliamentary Standing Committee on transport, tourism and culture by Derek O’Brien and in the Parliamentary Consultative Committee on Home Affairs by Manish Gupta. Roy’s position in the Trinamool became untenable a few days ago when the post he occupied till then – national vice-president – was scrapped by Banerjee.

Banerjee, of late, was also miffed with Roy for holding secret parleys with top Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) ministers like Home Minister Rajnath Singh and Railways Minister Piyush Goyal. The Trinamool suspects him of having also met BJP president Amit Shah. Roy, it is believed, has been in touch with central BJP leaders for quite sometime and may join the party.

For the BJP, bereft of any popular and heavyweight local leader in Bengal, Roy’s entry into the party will bring many benefits. The BJP will gain from Roy’s intricate knowledge of the ground political situation in Bengal, his organisational and poll management skills and his not inconsiderable following within the Trinamool.

Roy, since he was the second in command in the Trinamool and was in charge of the party’s poll management, had got his own men elected as MLAs and as representatives in civic and local bodies like panchayats across the state. They have not come out in Roy’s support till now since doing so would cost them their posts and positions. But it is widely believed that once Roy joins the BJP, they will follow him into that party at an opportune time.

Roy, however, is just the first senior Trinamool leader to have quit the party. A few other senior Trinamool leaders, some of them occupying key portfolios in government, are in touch with the BJP and are waiting in the wings for an opportune time to quit the Trinamool. That’s because they are extremely unhappy with Banerjee’s manner of functioning and do not see a very bright future for the Trinamool. They are also acutely aware of the fact that evidence of corruption has been piling up against some close aides of Banerjee and even her close family members like her brothers and nephew Abhishek Banerjee (who is a Lok Sabha MP).

Banerjee, thanks to her brusqueness and abrasive nature, has snubbed many of her senior colleagues and ministers the wrong way and they are unhappy with her. They also know that once the CBI and other investigative agencies like the Enforcement Directorate start acting on the evidence gathered on Banerjee’s family members and aides, much of her sheen will wear off. They are also very uncomfortable with Banerjee’s blatant minority appeasement and have been receiving feedback about growing anger among their constituents with the functioning of the state government.

Roy’s exit from the Trinamool, and his expected entry into the BJP, will set a precedent for some other senior Trinamool leaders, and many more middle and lower ranking party functionaries who are also MLAs, councillors and panchayat members, to follow. And despite the brave face put on by the Trinamool after Roy’s exit, there is a lot of unease within the party and apprehension about what is to follow.

Because Mukul Roy, as they (including Banerjee) all know, is no pushover. He is the keeper of many secrets that could severely embarrass even the top leadership of the party and lead to their prosecution. For the Trinamool, a disgruntled Mukul Roy remaining in the ranks of the party would have been much better than an angry Mukul Roy joining the BJP.