Mukul Roy's announcement,"going to BJP, will meet Amit Shah and Nadda ji"

Leaving political pundits guessing about his next move, veteran TMC leader Mukul Roy on Tuesday, April 18, 2023 night said that he is still a BJP legislator and would like to meet Union Home Minister Amit Shah as he would like to return to the saffron camp.

Mr Roy, who had traveled to New Delhi on April 17 for "some personal work", though his family initially claimed he was "missing", later accused the BJP of indulging in dirty politics with the help of an unwell TMC leader. and not in the "right frame of mind".

"I am a BJP legislator. I want to be with the BJP. The party has made arrangements for my stay here. I want to meet Amit Shah and speak to (party president) J.P. Nadda,” he told as per reports late on Tuesday evening. The founding member of the TMC switched to the BJP in 2017. He won as a saffron party candidate in the 2021 West Bengal assembly election.

He, however, returned to the Trinamool Congress soon after without resigning from the House. “I was not keeping well for quite some time, so I was away from politics. But right now, I am fine and would again be active in politics," Mr. Roy said. He said he is "100 per cent confident that he would never be associated with the TMC". Mr. Roy also had a piece of advice for his son Subharanghsu. "He too should join the BJP as it would suit him best," he said.

The drama over Roy's whereabouts evolved since late Monday evening when the family members of the TMC leader claimed he was "untraceable". After reaching Delhi last night, Mr. Roy told reporters that he reached the national capital but had "no specific agenda".

"I have come to Delhi. There is nothing specific agenda. I have been an MP for several years. Can I not come to Delhi? Earlier, I used to come to Delhi regularly. I am an MLA and MP of Delhi," he had said. The former railway minister's son Subhrangshu had said that his father was "untraceable" and "missing" since late Monday evening.

As there was speculation that Mr. Roy could rejoin the BJP, Mr. Subhrangshu, who too had switched over to the saffron camp, said his father is "extremely unwell" and suffers from "dementia and Parkinson's disease".