(MENAFN- The Peninsula) A day after the Trinamool Congress officially declared that Mukul Roy was "no longer the number two in the party", his son on Friday dared Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee to find out why the party got fewer votes than the BJP in Bhawanipur Assembly segment in last year's Lok Sabha elections. Mamata is the MLA from Bhawanipur.
Subhrangshu Roy, Bijpur MLA and Mukul's son, went a step further and dared Mamata to sack him if she thought it was required. The MLA's observation comes after Mamata, at the party legislature meeting on Thursday, claimed sabotage was the reason behind Trinamool bagging less votes at the recently-concluded Bongaon Lok Sabha bypolls than last year.
She had even ordered a probe into "the role of Mukul Roy's associates, including his son, in the region" during the bypolls.
"I cannot understand why I am being held responsible for the fewer number of votes that our party got in one assembly segment. I was not at all in charge of Kalyani region. If the decrease in party's margin of votes at Kalyani should be probed, why does the party not investigate the decrease in its vote share in some Assembly segments at Barrackpore, Barasat and also in South Kolkata in the May 2014 Lok Sabha elections? Let the party investigate into this and if I am held responsible I am ready to resign,'' Subhrangshu told The Indian Express.
Responding to Mamata's outburst at the mention of Mukul Roy's name two days ago that one should ask a party block president if he wants to know about Mukul, Subhrangshu said he was proud all block presidents know his father.
"I am proud of my father because of the acceptability he enjoys among party cadres. In fact all leaders at the booth level know my father. I will always stand by him and I will not tolerate any disrespect towards him," he said.
Later, he told local TV channels that he still considers himself "a soldier of Trinamool Congress" and left it upon the party leadership to "take a call".
The party, insiders say, seems to be on the way to suspend him.
TMC general secretary and state education minister Partha Chatterjee, at a hurriedly called media conference, said that the leadership "would take action against the erring MLA in 72 hours".
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