Mukul Roy hails SC relief to BJP leaders, calls TMC govt vindictive

BJP vice president Mukul Roy on Friday accused West Bengal's ruling Trinamool Congress of slapping multiple false cases against saffron party leaders, who had earlier quit the TMC, as part of vindictive politics.

Roy told reporters here that when he or Barrackpore MP Arjun Singh were in the TMC, there were no cases against them.

"But ever since Arjun and I joined BJP, 55 cases were slapped against me and over 65 against him (Singh). Arjun's son too has been charged with false cases," Roy alleged.

"This is a vindictive government which will be defeated in the next assembly election," he asserted at the press conference where Singh was also present.

Roy welcomed the Supreme Court's Friday order granting interim protection from coercive action to five BJP leaders, including himself, Singh, and party general secretary in-charge of West Bengal Kailash Vijayvargiya in allegedly false criminal cases.

"We welcome the Supreme Court order. We know the truth will prevail," he said.

Welcoming several panchayat members from Paschim Medinipur district who switched over from the TMC to BJP, Roy said many of them were from the minority community.

"It shows people of different communities and religious faiths are uniting in Bengal under the BJP to remove the undemocratic TMC government."

He claimed the ruling TMC will not be able to secure more than 100 out of the total 294 seats in the 2021 state assembly polls with its leaders and ordinary workers quitting the party in droves.

He, however, did not want to comment on whether Barrackpore MLA Silbhadra Dutta, who quit TMC on Friday, will join BJP.

Asked to comment on reservations expressed by Asansol MP and Union Minister Babul Supriyo about the possibility of Dutta joining the BJP, Roy wondered why the media was highlighting such issues.