Mukul Roy skips key TMC meet

 Trinamool Congress (TMC) national general secretary Mukul Roy skipped a crucial meeting of the top leadership, further fuelling rumours of a split within the party.

While speculations have been rife for the past few days that Roy might be slowly moving away from the party as he was being stripped of key responsibilities, matters came to a head on Saturday.

TMC chairperson and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had called for a crucial meeting to decide on the party’s strategy for the upcoming local body elections, scheduled for May. They are said to be crucial for the party, as the BJP breathes down its neck across the state

While all district presidents and top leaders were present at Banerjee's south Kolkata residence, Roy was conspicuous by his absence.

Other Trinamool leaders remained tight-lipped about the leader, considered the party’s master strategist, particularly for all electoral battles since 2008.  Roy refuted all rumours with a one-line statement: “My party is aware of what I am busy with.”