Suspended TMC leader resigns from RS

Suspended Trinamool Congress leader Mukul Roy on Wednesday resigned as Rajya Sabha MP and from the party amid buzz that he was interested in joining the BJP.

Roy had recently met Union minister Arun Jaitley and BJP general secretary Kailash Vijayvargiya, who is  in-charge of West Bengal. The BJP has not yet taken a decision with regard to Roy, whose name had figured in the Sarada scam. It has suggested he float his own regional outfit, which can support the NDA — a repeat of what Maharashtra leader Narayan Rane did after quitting the Congress.

Rane launched the Maharashtra Swabhiman Paksha and announced his party would join the NDA.

The BJP, which is facing a crisis of leadership in West Bengal, is keen to get a local face to expand its network prior to the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.

Interacting with the media after handing in his resignation, Roy accused Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee of running a one-man show, and propagating dynastic politics and indulging in opportunism.