Mukul Roy didn't join TMC, his lawyer to Bengal speaker at anti-defection hearing

KOLKATA: Refuting charges of defection brought by the Bharatiya Janata Party, Mukul Roy, who returned to the Trinamool Congress on June 11 last year, told the West Bengal legislative assembly Speaker through his lawyers on Wednesday that he is still in the BJP and never joined the ruling party.

Roy, a founder member of the Mamata Banerjee-led TMC, joined the BJP in 2017 following differences with chief minister Mamata Banerjee, and was appointed and was appointed BJP’s national vice-president. His son, Subhranshu, also joined the saffron camp but returned to the TMC with his father in June last year.

Roy contested and won the Krishnanagar North assembly seat on a BJP ticket in the March-April polls last year. His son also contested on a BJP ticket but lost.

Mukul Roy, who is ailing, has not attended any public meeting in months.

Bengal assembly officials aware of Wednesday’s hearing on the disqualification petition filed by the BJP said Roy’s lawyers have argued that he never left the BJP.

They argued that Roy’s visit to the TMC headquarters, where he was greeted by Banerjee and her nephew Abhishek on June 11 in the presence of the media, was a mere courtesy call. The lawyers cited the judgments of several courts to back their argument.

The Supreme Court on Monday told Bengal assembly speaker Biman Banerjee to decide the disqualification petition filed against Mukul Roy under the anti-defection law within two weeks. Leader of the opposition in the assembly Suvendu Adhikari filed the disqualification petition in June last year.

The speaker had filed an appeal before the Supreme Court through senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi challenging a September 28 order of the Calcutta high court asking him to produce the decision taken on the appeal for Roy’s disqualification.

The Calcutta high court passed the order in September after hearing a petition filed by BJP legislator Ambika Roy who challenged Roy’s nomination as chairman of Public Accounts Committee (PAC) on July 9, two days before he returned to the TMC. Mukul Roy was subsequently declared the PAC chairman by the speaker.

“There was a long hearing today. Mukul Roy’s lawyers presented their arguments. Adhikari’s lawyers said they want to raise a legal point at a later date. The hearings are over. I do not want to prolong the process. I will announce my decision as soon as possible as ordered by the Supreme Court,” the speaker told the media after the hearing.

Adhikari said he has very little faith in the judgement of the speaker.

“We have to place our belief in the Supreme Court. I do not have much faith in the hearing held at the assembly,” said Adhikari.

In response, the speaker said the leader of the opposition was frustrated.

“Adhikari seems to have no faith in either the judiciary or the assembly. He appears to be frustrated because his role as leader of the opposition is very unimpressive. No BJP legislator has taken part in any assembly event apart from the official proceedings. They are never seen any event held on the assembly campus. This never happened in the past,” said the Speaker.

TMC Lok Sabha member Saugata Roy said, “I do not know what Roy’s lawyers said at the hearing. None of us were present there. As far as I can remember he was in the BJP when he filed his nomination for the post of PAC chairman.”

Bengal BJP spokesperson Jay Prakash Majumdar took a swipe at the TMC.

“In the TMC, there seems to be no limit to lying. The entire world saw on television that Mukul Roy was welcomed back by Mamata and Abhishek Banerjee. Even he called it his homecoming. How can someone lie like this in parliamentary democracy?” said Majumdar.

Avoiding a direct reply, TMC state general secretary Kunal Ghosh said: “Roy is a BJP legislator for the first three days of the week. He is not with any party for the next three days. And, on Sunday, he has tea with TMC leaders. Does Adhikari have any objection to that ? Instead of questioning Roy, he should first clarify his father Sisir Adhikari’s political position. His father is a TMC Lok Sabha MP but joined the BJP at a rally of Union home minister Amit Shah.”

The TMC moved a petition before Lok Sabha speaker Om Birla last year, demanding Sisir Adhikari’s disqualification. Birla has held two hearings on the petition so far.

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