Former railway minister Mukul Roy, a founding member of West Bengal’s ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC), died at a Kolkata hospital in the early hours of Monday. He was 71.
“He was suffering from multiple ailments, including Parkinson’s disease, and had undergone three surgeries. He was admitted to the hospital for over two years and was in a coma,” said Subhranshu Roy, his son.
Mukul Roy, known for his election management, was a close confidante of chief minister Mamata Banerjee and was often referred to as the Chanakya of Bengal politics.
Tributes poured in as soon as the news of his passing broke. Mamata Banerjee described Mukul Roy as her long-time political colleague and a comrade-in-arms in political struggles. “The late Mukul Roy devoted his life to the party [TMC] from the very inception… He served as a Union minister and enjoyed acceptability across all levels of the party. Later, he took a different path, only to return. His contributions to Bengal’s politics and his organisational acumen are unforgettable. Regardless of party affiliations, the political circles will feel his absence,” she wrote on X.
TMC leader Abhishek Banerjee described Mukul Roy as a founding pillar of their party. “The demise of Mukul Roy marks the end of an era in Bengal’s political history. A veteran leader with vast experience. His contributions helped shape an important phase of the state’s public and political journey.” He said Mukul Roy was instrumental in expanding and consolidating the TMC during its formative years. “His dedication to public life will be recalled with admiration. I extend my sincere sympathies to his family, friends, and admirers. May his soul be granted eternal peace,” Abhishek Banerjee wrote on X.
BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari said he was deeply disheartened to learn about the sad demise. “My sincere condolences to his family. Praying that his soul attains eternal peace. Om Shanti,” Adhikari wrote on X.
Who was Mukul Roy?
Mukul Roy started his political career as a Youth Congress leader. As the TMC’s general secretary, he became known for his political acumen. He played a crucial role in the TMC’s historic win in the 2011 assembly elections, ending the three-decade Left Front rule in the eastern state. He served as the minister of state for shipping and the railway minister during the second Congress-led United Progressive Alliance government (2009-2014).
In 2016, the Narada News portal uploaded videos purportedly showing TMC leaders, including Mukul Roy, receiving money in exchange for favours to a fictitious company before the assembly elections that year. He quit as a Rajya Sabha member and resigned from TMC’s primary membership in October 2017, a month after the TMC suspended him for six years for “anti-party” activities. He joined the BJP the same year and was named its national vice-president.
Mukul Roy returned to the TMC in 2021 after winning the assembly elections on a BJP ticket. His son followed suit.
The Supreme Court last month stayed the Calcutta high court order disqualifying Mukul Roy as a member of the West Bengal assembly for returning to the TMC after being elected on a BJP ticket in 2021.
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