The Trinamool Congress has managed to placate MP Satabdi Roy, a day after she expressed displeasure over her “diminished” role in the party. After she expressed her discontent on Thursday, the TMC, already plagued by the exodus of top leaders, went into a firefighting mode and sent a battery of senior leaders to placate Roy. And after a two-hour-long marathon meeting, she came out and said, “I am going to remain with TMC.
The three-time MP from Birbhum said she held talks with Abhishek Banerjee, nephew of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, and he addressed all issues raised by her.
“I am not going to Delhi tomorrow. I was with TMC and will remain with TMC. I held talks with Abhishek Banerjee today and he addressed the issues raised by me. I am not going to Delhi tomorrow. I am going to remain with TMC,” Roy told news agency ANI. “All those in the party who have problems should raise them. If 10 people in the party raise a problem, then the party should solve it,” she added.
Roy was scheduled to visit Delhi on Saturday.
In a social media post on her ‘Satabdi Roy Fan Club’ Facebook page, the actor-turned-politician had said the reason behind her absence in party programmes in Birbhum was that she was not informed about the schedules in advance. The post said she was with the people of her constituency but some people did not want her to reach them.
“I am even not informed about the party programmes so how can I participate. Stay well I will inform you all on January 16 at 2 pm if I take any further decisions,” she said in her post.
On Thursday BJP general secretary Kailash Vijayvargia had claimed that 41 MLAs who support Mamata Banerjee government are ready to join the BJP.
According to TMC insiders, Birbhum MP was seldom seen at party programmes in the district after the 2019 Lok Sabha polls. Roy was last seen during Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s Birbhum visit on 28 December 2020.
“Roy was not on good terms with the ruling party coterie in Birbhum for long. Local leaders did not like Roy disbursing her Members of Parliament Local Area Development Scheme (MPLAD) funds without getting them authorised by the party to select development projects,” a party source told ANI.