Forgetting her differences with Mr Anubrata Mondal, Birbhum district president of the Trinamul Congress who has been arrested by the CBI on charge of his alleged involvement in the cattle smuggling scam, Mrs Satabdi Roy, actress-turned MP of the party, said she stood behind the strongman in his time of crisis at a time when party leadership is desperate to convey that it has zero tolerance on matters of corruption and financial irregularities.

While speaking to The Statesman on Friday, Mrs Roy, a three-time Trinamul Congress MP from Birbhum Lok Sabha constituency, said, “As a human being, I will stand beside him at this time of crisis though I have plenty of differences with him on issues related to our party programmes and his style of functioning as a Birbhum district party president.”

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“I won’t comment anything on my party leadership’s stand on Anubrata Mondal but for myself I will stand beside him forgetting all my differences of opinions with him,” she said.

When asked about her earlier reported plans to leave the Trinamul Congress and join the BJP because she was worried about her party’s activities in Birbhum district under the leadership of Mr Mondal, she said, “I won’t comment on the issue to refuel another controversy.”

Towards the end of January 2021, rumours of her exit had started swirling following her Facebook post where she had announced she was about to take a ‘big decision’. The post had triggered speculation that she might join the BJP.

She had claimed that she was not being informed about party events in her own constituency and this had caused “mental pain”.