Mukul meets Mamata to dispel rift rumours

Mukul meets Mamata to dispel rift rumours

In a bid to dispel rumours of a rift within the party, Trinamool Congress (TMC) general secretary Mukul Roy met party chief Mamata Banerjee late on Monday. 

While both remained tight-lipped after the hour-long meeting, it is believed that Roy briefed Mamata details of a plea before the Supreme Court moved by the state government asking the apex court to monitor the Saradha scam probe.

While Roy left for Delhi soon after the meeting, insiders said the talk was crucial for both leaders as the differences between Mamata and her second-in-command has come out in the open ever since Roy was questioned by the CBI in connection with the Saradha chit fund scam. 

“For Roy, it’s a way of showing that his rapport with the chief minister is unchanged and for the party chief it is important to keep him in the fold to find out what was exchanged between the CBI and him,” a senior leader said.

The meeting could be a balancing act for Roy, who after being quizzed by the CBI on Friday avoided meeting the chief minister and spoke to the media instead, making statements that gave hints of a possible rift in the party. 

“Things got further serious when Roy stayed away from meeting Mamata on Sunday, which has been his routine for the last 18 years since the party was formed. If he had avoided her before leaving for Delhi, speculations would have been stronger about their differences,” a party MP said.

A senior leader who has received some of Roy’s responsibilities, pointed out that Monday night’s meeting was probably Mamata’s way of trying to find out what Roy is thinking.

 The order of things, however, seemed to have remained unchanged and Roy still remains missing from the TMC delegation that will meet vice-president and Rajya Sabha Chairman Hamid Ansari on February 6.