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Bengal

'Mukul's movements under scanner'

Kolkata: The movements of Trinamool Congress MP Mukul Roy will be under scanner, party's secretary general Partha Chatterjee said on Friday.
Chatterjee said the party will keep a tab on Roy's movements. "He is our MP and so his movements will be under scanner as he is meeting people not liked by the party," he said.
Chatterjee categorically said that if Roy wants to grow bonhomie with BJP, he is free to do so but in that case, he will have to leave the party. Roy, however, did not say a word on the issue.
It may be recalled that in the recently held meeting of the Trinamool Congress' core committee at Mamata Banerjee's residence, the party chief without naming Mukul Roy had stated that anybody having close ties with the BJP is free to leave it.
The matter came to light after Roy was dropped as the vice-president of the party. Roy, along with Sultan Ahmed, used to hold the post of vice-president jointly. After Ahmed's death early this month, the party abolished the post. Also, Roy was dropped from different committees and finally his security was withdrawn.
Roy is believed to have held a meeting with Finance Minister Arun Jaitley recently in Delhi. He is said to be in touch with several BJP leaders and Union ministers. Though Roy has not said anything in this matter, his recent statement that "one should stay at the crease and continue to play" raised fresh speculations that he is going to leave the party soon. Roy's relationship with the party in general and Mamata Banerjee in particular saw a reversal from 2012. For nearly a year, he distanced himself from the party and was then reinstated and made the vice-president.
Political analysts said that by removing him from the post of vice-president and taking back his security without informing him are enough indications that the Trinamool Congress is waiting for Roy to take a decision.
They said the BJP will try to use Roy in the Panchayat elections. Though the BJP does not expect to do well in the Panchayat polls, it is really eyeing the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. Roy has contacts with all the block level leaders and will be able to rope in some of them. BJP is planning for a couple of seats in the bordering districts both in South and North Bengal and his help will be of great use.
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