Senior BJP leader and former West Bengal minister Rajib Banerjee met Trinamool Congress state general secretary Kunal Ghosh on Saturday, fuelling speculations of his returning to the old party. The meeting came a day after BJP national vice president Mukul Roy rejoined the TMC on Friday.
Quoting TMC sources, PTI reported that Rajib met Ghosh at the latter's north Kolkata residence and the duo held a prolonged discussion. Both the leaders, however, dismissed rumours and said it was just a courtesy meeting.
“There were no such talks. I am still in the BJP,” Rajib said. Speculations were rife after Rajib skipped a meeting of the West Bengal BJP on June 8, citing “personal reasons”. He had also recently warned the members of the saffron party against demanding President's rule in the state.
"Enough with the criticism. The people elected the government with a majority, they will not take it well if the threat of Section 365 is constantly dangled to oppose the chief minister," he had tweeted.
Rajib switched over to the BJP in January and unsuccessfully contested the recent assembly elections from Domjur seat in Howrah district. The soft-spoken leader was elected from Domjur on a TMC ticket in both 2011 and 2016 elections. He had earned the reputation of being one of the best performing ministers in the Mamata Banerjee cabinet.
On Friday, Mukul Roy along with his son Subhranshu Roy rejoined the Trinamool Congress in the presence of Chief Minister Banerjee. This came as yet another heavy blow for the BJP after Banerjee's returned to power in the state with a landslide victory. Speculations of Roy's resentment with the BJP and his 'ghar wapsi' had been around for weeks.
Roy, an erstwhile strongman in the TMC and aide of Mamata Banerjee, had left the regional party and joined the BJP in November 2017. He was the first major TMC leader to switch over to the BJP. He played a key role in the furious growth of the BJP in the intervening period.
During the election campaign, Mamata Banerjee had refused to directly attack Roy even as she was aggressive against another turncoat, Suvendu Adhikari, who contested and won against her in Nandigram.
Soon after his reinduction into the TMC, Roy, an MLA from Krishnagar (North), had said many BJP legislators are in touch with him. The party (TMC) will take a call on them, he added.
