Mamata Banerjee's former right-hand man Mukul Roy joins BJP

After weeks of speculation, former Trinamool Congress party (TMC) leader Mukul Roy officially joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Friday evening.

The announcement was made at BJP press meet by Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad.“Happy to inform that Mukul Roy is joining BJP, we welcome him,” said Prasad, with Roy by his side.

Today I have Joined BJP and it's my proud privilege to work under PM @narendramodi : Shri Mukul Roy Watch LIVE at https://t.co/0oKmQagw9bpic.twitter.com/Q3hoUyQIoa

— BJP LIVE (@BJPLive) November 3, 2017

On September 17, Mukul Roy was removed from the position of the national vice-president of the Trinamool Congress party when the party restructured its internal committee. Earlier, he was also removed from the parliamentary standing committee on transport, tourism and culture.

Media reports of a strained relationship between Mukul Roy and the party were doing the rounds as he was reported to have contacts with central BJP leaders. Roy, who was considered second in chief after Mamata Banerjee in the party was stripped of all vital posts in the last few months.

The 63-year-old political leader had been associated with the TMC since its inception. He accused the party chief and West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee of playing dynasty politics.

Roy, who was once the second-in-command in the TMC, said he was compelled to take the decision as one-person parties were not good for the country.

In 2006, he became the Rajya Sabha member from West Bengal. He has also served as a member of the Committee on Urban Development and Consultative Committee for the Ministry of Home Affairs. Roy also was TMC All India General Secretary in 2008 and became the Shipping Minister in May 2009.

In 2011, when Mamata Banerjee became the Chief Minister of West Bengal, Roy took her place as the Railway Minister. However, he defied the then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh when was asked to visit a site of the Guwahati-Puri Express derailment. The defiance led to his dismissal as Railway Minister.

He returned to lead the rail ministry after Dinesh Trivedi resigned in 2012, but had to step down as TMC exited the UPA government in the Centre.

Roy was one of the forerunners in the anti-land-acquisition movements in Singur and Nandigram in West Bengal led by Mamata Banerjee. Political analysts view this movement played a prominent part in TMC's rise to power. Thus, Roy was held high in regard by Banerjee.

However, reports of a strained relationship between Mukul Roy and the party did the rounds after he faced a grilling in the Saradha chit fund scam which shook West Bengal. He was stripped of all vital posts in the past few months. On September 17, Mukul Roy was removed from the position of the national vice-president of the TMC party when it restructured its internal committee.