The Trinamool Congress (TMC) today censured estranged party leader Mukul Roy for allegedly hobnobbing with BJP leaders and drew the line by saying the party was keeping a close watch on him.
"We have come across reports and instances where Roy has been seen meeting BJP leaders. The party has not asked him to meet anybody...he might be meeting them in his personal capacity. Only he knows why is he meeting BJP leaders and what is the real reason behind it," TMC secretary general and West Bengal minister Partha Chatterjee told reporters here.
"Those who keep in touch with BJP leaders or are found to be hobnobbing with them cannot be a friend of the TMC. The party will never tolerate it. If he (Roy) tries to cross his limits, the party will talk to him," he added.
The warning from the ruling party of West Bengal comes two days after Roy gave up the 'Z' category security cover provided to him by the state government.
Roy had then said, "I have come to know from newspaper reports that I have been removed from the post of TMC vice- president and various parliamentary standing committees. So, I felt that there was no need for any security cover."
Once the second-in-command in the TMC, Roy, a Rajya Sabha MP, currently shares a strained relationship with the party. He was absent from the event to unveil the Durga Puja edition of the TMC mouthpiece, 'Jago Bangla', on September 19.
The special edition of the party mouthpiece was unveiled by TMC supremo and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and the entire TMC top brass, barring Roy, was present at the event.
The TMC leadership had recently decided to restructure its committee, following which the party vice-president's post was abolished.
Roy was earlier removed as the party's in-charge of Tripura, where the TMC was steadily making inroads till its members switched over to the BJP earlier this year.
Disclaimer: No Business Standard Journalist was involved in creation of this content
