Mamata Bannerjee wins back Mukul Roy before he could register his own party

KOLKATA: West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee made a surprise call to her onetime confidant Mukul Roy, days ahead of the Election Commission’s official registration of his Nationalist Trinamool Congress (NTC) and 10 months after Roy reportedly revealed certain details of the All-India Trinamool Congress (AITC)’s financial transaction to CBI.

Although Roy’s associates claimed that he was yet to direct them to stall the process of launching NTC, he has started taking organisational responsibilities of AITC yet again. Roy was part of a Trinamool delegation that visited the Union minority affairs minister on Wednesday.

Roy was holding a meeting with NTC office-bearers in his residence in Delhi when he was invited for a dinner with Mamata. Roy returned after almost three hours. A closeddoor meeting for an hour between the leaders was only an ice-breaker, a source said. Roy, who was not on talking terms with Banerjee for the last 10 months, after he was shunted out of all important positions, again joined party activities following the crucial meeting, a source said.

The new equations between Banerjee and Roy has created a buzz in political circles. Some observers see this as her ploy to neutralise Roy by making him stay back in the party, while some others feel that Banerjee has realised Roy’s utility for smooth election management. The Election Commission is scheduled to meet functionaries of NTC on December 23 before granting it registration. “As of now, there has been no discussion on stalling the process for the new party. Mukulda has been with us since the beginning. The commission has received some objections against the new party.