Mukul Roy may join BJP today

New Delhi: Former TMC leader Mukul Roy could join the BJP on Saturday at the party’s national headquarters in presence of senior party leaders, including party president Amit Shah.

Mr Roy has been in touch with the BJP ever since he was sidelined within the West Bengal’s ruling TMC.  

The one-time close associate of the state chief minister Mamata Banerjee, the former Railway minister, had quit from both the primary membership of the TMC and Rajya Sabha last month after his name cropped up in the Narada and Sarada chit fund scam.

He was also questioned by the CBI regarding the matter.

Interestingly, the BJP is also hosting a ‘Diwali Milan’ on Saturday, which will be attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Mr Roy was one of the founding members of the TMC, which had vehemently attacked the Modi government after his name cropped up in the scams.

Speculation is rife that the BJP, which is desperately trying to gain ground in West Bengal, could also accommodate Mr Roy in Mr Shah’s team as one of the national general secretaries. He could be given charge of few states, said sources.

Mr Roy, sources said, could be given charge of few states and might assist senior leader Kailash Vijayvargiya, who is party’s in charge of West Bengal.  Though Mr Roy had official quit the TMC earlier this month, he had announced in September, his decision to quit the party. Following this, the TMC suspended him. Though the BJP central leadership is keen that Mr Roy joins the saffron platform, its state unit is divided as it feels that his joining will only dent the party’s anti-corruption plank, which it has been using against TMC in the state. In West Bengal, BJP’s organisational strength is considered to be weak and the party leadership feels that with Mr Roy joining the saffron front will be an advantage to it.