New Delhi: Senior Trinamool Congress leader Mukul Roy’s arrival in Delhi has sparked a controversy as his family claimed he was “untraceable” until he emerged at the airport.
The former railway minister’s son Subhragshu earlier told the media that his father was “missing” since late Monday evening. However, news reports claimed the leader went missing after a bitter altercation between Roy and his son on Sunday.
After reaching Delhi, Roy – who joined the BJP in 2017 and returned to TMC four years later – denied that he was visiting the national capital for any “special political reason” amid speculation over the reasons for his visit.
Roy, who has been suffering from health ailments after the death of his wife, was hospitalised in February.
A former number two in the TMC, Roy had quit the party following differences with party supremo Mamata Banerjee. As national vice president of the BJP, Roy inducted many senior figures from the TMC into the party fold resulting in BJP’s strong performance in the 2021 polls.
He had won the 2021 assembly elections on a BJP ticket but returned to the TMC as other turncoats switched to Banerjee’s side.
Roy (68) has been keeping a low profile since his return to the Mamata Banerjee-led party from the BJP one-and-a-half years back. He was a key leader behind the BJP’s Bengal strategy for the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, which saw the saffron party winning 18 of the state’s total 42 seats.
While his son Subhargshu Roy claimed that the family has lodged a complaint with the airport police officials, sources in the police said that no formal complaint has been received till now.
The Trinamool Congress has not released any statement regarding the matter yet. However, political experts believe that the incident could have far-reaching consequences in West Bengal politics.
Roy’s return to the Trinamool Congress had come as a surprise for many, and his departure from the BJP had also raised questions about the internal feud within the West Bengal BJP unit. The incident also highlights the growing tension within the Roy family.