Tapas Roy joins BJP amidst ‘traitor’ barb from Trinamool

The former senior Trinamool Congress (TMC) MLA Tapas Roy joined the BJP on Monday amid criticism from his former party of joining hands with the “corrupt” for cynical gains.

Roy, who had expressed displeasure for TMC for several reasons, one of which includes “corruption” and the alleged failure to lend ears to his grievances, joined the BJP on Wednesday in the presence of the state BJP president Sukanta Majumdar and Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari. He also met Speaker Biman Bandopadhyay who later told the media that Roy’s resignation from the MLA post was not accepted due to certain technical issues and requested him to resubmit the resignation on Thursday.

However, since Roy had already quit from all TMC posts and the party, there was no apparent obstruction in joining another party, it was learnt. After joining BJP, Roy said that the situation in Bengal today is “unprecedented”. “Several people died in Bengal due to political violence, including from the ruling party. Incidents like Bogtui have frequently taken place. In recent times the atrocities against the women of Sandeshkhali are unthinkable. People of Bengal could never think that a state government can support a pirate and demon despite orders of the High Court and Supreme Court,” he said.

Roy said several BJP leaders got in touch with him before he joined the saffron brigade.

Meanwhile, sharing a picture of Tapas Roy joining BJP, TMC national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee wrote on X: “The @BJP4India’s ‘WASHING MACHINE’ saga continues as @TapasRoyAITC swiftly joins the ANTI BENGAL Gang within 2 months of the ED raiding his house. This IMAGE is a testament of the BJP’s TREATMENT of the people of Bengal, reinforcing why they are often referred to as ZAMINDARS.”

Trinamool leader Kunal Ghosh told the media: “His leaving the party is unfortunate while joining the BJP was tragic. He had fought against the BJP while being in our party. He was our senior leader and like my elder brother. I and Bratya Basu tried to dissuade him from taking such a drastic decision and requested him not to join any other party. We felt he took the decision partly out of a misunderstanding and partly from feeling neglected by the party. Had the party intervened earlier this could have been avoided.”

TMC leader Santanu Sen said that the people of Bengal would never forgive traitors like Tapas Roy who quit the party for vested interests.