After Mukul Roy quits BJP, Rajib Banerjee meets TMC leader triggering speculation of return to old party

Former West Bengal minister Rajib Banerjee met TMC state general secretary Kunal Ghosh triggering speculations of return to his old party.

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Kolkata: Bharatiya Janta Party leader and former West Bengal minister Rajib Banerjee met Trinamool Congress (TMC) state general secretary Kunal Ghosh on Saturday amid speculation of return to his old party. Though, Ghosh claimed that it was a 'courtesy meeting'.

Rajib Banerjee, who switched over to BJP and had unsuccessfully contested assembly polls on a BJP ticket from Domjur seat, went to Ghosh's residence in the northern part of Kolkata where the two had a meeting for more than 1.5 hours.

The development comes a day after BJP national vice president Mukul Roy returned to TMC in the presence of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.

The absence of Rajib Banerjee at the recent meeting of the party’s West Bengal unit triggered speculations of his return to the old party. Rajib Banerjee even wrote a over a social media post saying "people will not take kindly to threats of Presidents rule against a government elected with a huge mandate".

Mukul Roy and Shamik Bhattacharya were the other two leaders missing from th estate BJP meet.

Rajib Banerjee had resigned from the All India Trinamool Congress (AITC) in January claiming that he was forced to do so as a section of party leaders "humiliated him for airing his grievances over their style of functioning". He had served as minister in the TMC government both in 2011 and 2016.

Meanwhile on Friday, After Mukul roy's return to TMC, an elated Mamata Banerjee said that more people will come out of the BJP and join her party in the days to come.

"Mukul (Roy) is our old member and he has come back. He was not in a good condition in the BJP because the saffron party created pressure on him through agencies, as a result, he was not in mental peace. I was watching that his health condition had also deteriorated because one cannot stay in the BJP. It is a heartless party and no human being can stay there," Mamata Banerjee said.