Tapas Roy joins BJP after quitting TMC, says he wants to build peaceful Bengal by ousting ‘anarchist govt’

He is being seen as a potential BJP candidate from Kolkata Uttar Lok Sabha constituency.

Veteran TMC leader Tapas Roy (extreme left) resigned as an MLA days ago and joined the BJP at party office in Salt Lake ,Kolkata on Wednesday March 06, 2024. (Express photo by Partha Paul)

Days after tendering his resignation as a Trinamool Congress MLA and quitting the Mamata Banerjee-led party, senior West Bengal political leader Tapas Roy joined the BJP on Wednesday.

Roy was officially inducted into the party by BJP state president Sukanta Majumdar, Leader of Opposition in the state Assembly Suvendu Adhikari, the party’s Bengal observer Mangal Pandey and other state leaders. There are speculations that Roy could be the BJP candidate from Kolkata Uttar Lok Sabha constituency.

Soon after joining the BJP, Roy said he joined the saffron camp to build a peaceful West Bengal. “From today, I will be a member of the BJP family. I will try to shoulder whatever responsibility the party will give me. Together, we have to build a peaceful Bengal by ousting the anarchist (TMC) government ruling the state today. I will work honestly and sincerely,” said Roy.

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On Monday, Roy submitted his resignation as the Baranagar MLA to the West Bengal Assembly Speaker and quit the TMC, accusing it of not standing by him during crises.

Roy, a five-time MLA (four times with the TMC and once with the Congress, was the deputy chief whip of the TMC in the Assembly and president of the party’s Dumdum-Barrackpore organisational district.

After inducting Roy into the party, BJP Balurghat MP Sukanta Majumdar said, “We are happy to induct Tapas Roy into the party. We are only interested in inducting leaders such as Roy, who not only has a clean image but years of experience.”

Suvendu Adhikari said the decision to induct the former TMC leader was taken after discussion with central party leaders. “Roy is a tried and trusted political leader with experience as a student leader. He also held organisational responsibilities while being with his former party. In Kolkata and surrounding areas, our party has many supporters but not enough credible leaders. Therefore, Roy is the ideal person who will fill this gap. We needed a leader like him in the party to strengthen the organisation in and around Kolkata,” said Adhikari.

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Meanwhile, the TMC slammed Roy for joining the BJP. Senior TMC leader Santanu Sen said Roy had decided to escape from ED and CBI probes. “He has compromised with his ideals and beliefs. He has betrayed a party that had made him a four-time MLA, a state minister, and deputy chief whip of the party in the state Assembly. He has surrendered before the BJP; that is very unfortunate. The People of Bengal will not forgive a betrayer like him,” said Sen.

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