“I regularly visit Delhi. I can come to Delhi after all I am MP… MLA of this place…,” were the words of Trinamool veteran Mukul Roy who was spotted at the Palam airport in Delhi. This statement shows not everything is normal with this man who had lived an active political life. Who eats and drinks politics. This viral video of Roy has created ripples across political corridors in West Bengal and Delhi.

Mukulda as he is called had boarded Indigo flight 6E898 for Delhi at around 7pm alongwith his two confidential aides in Kolkata. His son, who re-joined the Trinamool after leaving Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) had rushed to the Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose airport and requested the Indigo authorities in writing to deboard his father on health grounds, “I requested Indigo to deboard my father citing his mental and health conditions but they could not owing to flight regulations, I do understand their obligations,” said Shubhrangshu. Mukul Roy landed at Delhi airport around 9:45 pm and was seen coming out of the airport at around 10pm. At the airport, when reporter of a Bengali news channel asked him his reason for coming and also if he was unwell, Mukul Roy said he is fine and he keeps visiting Delhi.

Mukul Roy is among the initial leaders who had left the Bengal Congress to form Trinamool under Mamata Banerjee in late 90’s and the party had been registered in his name which Mamata Banerjee later got removed after Roy announced his exit from the Trinamool to join the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP). Mukul Roy was superceded by nephew Abhishek Banerjee who was made Genral Secretary. Nothing new though, in Trinamool it is said that the party supports or stands beside it’s leaders or members as long as they are of use to the party Supremo and are shown the doors once they turn unproductive. Scroll down the history and you will find numerous names who were at the helm but are nowhere today.

Mukul Roy had been an active politician who had worked at the ground root level. He remembered the embers across districts by their names. I have myself seen him many times interacting with party workers at the Trinamool Bhawan, Topsia in Kolkata. It was the time Mukulda was the General Secretary and would visit the party office almost daily during the afternoon. I too had to visit for stories. On many occasions I have seen him getting engrossed in discussions and standing for hours with one feel on the footboard of his Boleno car. Never saw anger, impatience fir being held up for hours. This is the quality of a political leader.

His son has alleged BJP nexus behind the entire plan. “BJP is doing this in a pre-planned manner as their real target our leader Abhishek Banerjee, today Abhishek is the youth icon. It’s being done as my father had re-joined under Abhishek Banerjee,” accused Subhrangshu Roy who himself had left the party to join the BJP and re-joined Trinamool under Abhishek Banerjee. “I never found anybody from BJP beside me when my father underwent a surgery or when my mother died,” added Subhrangshu. BJP too has given a befitting reply by saying things would be clear soon why Mukul Roy is in Delhi. “There is no need for the BJp to hijack Mukul Roy and BJP doesn’t take Abhishek Banerjee seriously that it will take refuge in Mukul Roy to malign him,” BJP replied. The spokesperson in the party further said, “Abhishek Banerjee could be Trinamool’s concern not for the BJP.” However, it’s not clear if Mukul Roy will be re-joining the BJP or is he in Delhi for something else.