TMC MP Satabdi Roy ends suspense with 'I'm with Mamata' climax

Ending suspense over speculations about her defection to the BJP, Birbhum MP Satabdi Roy on Friday asserted there was no question of her leaving the Trinamool Congress (TMC) and that she’s with Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.

Her remark came after a two-hour meeting with CM Banerjee’s nephew and senior leader Abhishek, who reached out to her after she voiced discontentment amid an ongoing exodus of leaders from the party ahead of the assembly elections.

Roy, an actor-turned-politician who is a leading face in Mamata Banerjee’s cultural brigade, had claimed she was not being informed about party events in her constituency, causing “mental pain”. The three-time MP had said she will inform the public at 2 pm on Saturday if she takes any “decision”, following which the jittered TMC started reaching out to her.

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At first, TMC spokesperson Kunal Ghosh met Roy at her south Kolkata residence in the afternoon after she spoke to a number of TV channels, dropping hints of her next political move. “I’ve tried to reach out to the leadership but it has been of no use. If I’m not able to work for the masses then what is the use of continuing in the post,” she had told reporters.

According to party sources, Roy was having differences with TMC’s Birbhum district chief Anubrata Mondal, who has often hit the headlines for his controversial statements.

In the evening, Roy met Abhishek Baneree at his residence. After the meeting, she told the media all the issues have been sorted out. “I am with Mamata Banerjee. She is my leader. There was never any question of my leaving the party,” she said, adding that she’s not going to Delhi on Saturday.

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Earlier in the day, Ghosh claimed that BJP leader Mukul Roy had reached out to Satabdi and requested for a meeting in Delhi on Saturday. Roy, who had snatched the Birbhum seat from CPI(M) heavyweight Ram Chandra Dome in 2009 on debut, managed to win it by an overwhelming margin in 2019, even as the BJP routed the TMC in nearby constituencies.

She was last seen with Chief Minister Banerjee during a roadshow in Bolpur on December 29, which was seen as a show of strength in response to Union Minister Amit Shah’s rally in the district earlier in the last month.

Amid a rising BJP in the state, the Trinamool Congress is facing an exodus in the top and middle orders ahead of the assembly elections. Last month, Suvendu Adhikari, along with 35 party leaders including five MLAs and an MP, joined BJP, setting off a churning as several disgruntled leaders rallied behind him.

Elections to the 294-member state assembly are likely in April-May.

(With inputs from agencies)