Mukul Roy’s departure from the BJP has sparked a bitter blame game in the saffron party. While a section of BJP leaders in West Bengal is blaming the state leadership for failing to utilize Roy’s political acumen in the Assembly elections, others are claiming that he was given undue preference over the old guards of the party resulting in its defeat.
State BJP sources said that Roy played a key role in the party’s victory in 18 seats in West Bengal in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. They are wondering why a strategist of his calibre was largely kept confined to being just a party candidate in the Assembly elections.
They are worried that Roy’s return to the Trinamool Congress (TMC) may result in the exodus of a large number of booth level workers of BJP as they were mostly his followers.
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Although state BJP president Dilip Ghosh claimed that Roy’s departure will not have any significant impact, a section of party leaders is blaming the Central leadership for suddenly preferring Suvendu Adhikari over Roy.
“During the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, Roy was given the charge of the party’s organization in Bengal. Then suddenly, ahead of the Assembly elections, Suvendu Adhikari and Rajb Banerjee were preferred over him. Roy was miffed,” said a BJP leader.
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BJP sources said that another section of leaders is accusing the Central leadership of putting Roy in the driver’s seat of the state unit, ignoring the party’s old guards.
“Now, if problems arise because of his departure, it will be the Central leadership’s responsibility,” they said.
BJP MLA from Bagdah in North 24 Paraganas district Biswajit Das said that Roy's return to the TMC will hurt the BJP in Bengal.
“I am on cordial terms with Mukul Roy as well as with Mamata Banerjee and Abhishek Banerjee. There is no politics in it. Time will decide my political future,” said Das.
Another TMC turncoat, former MLA from Noapara, Sunil Singh also said that Roy’s departure will impact the BJP negatively. “I came to BJP with Mukul Roy. Let’s see what happens in the future,” he said.