West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has reportedly entrusted her minister Firhad Hakim, who is also the Mayor of Kolkata, to explore disciplinary action on Sabyasachi Dutta, a Trinamool Congress (TMC) legislator.
The decision comes after Dutta, the mayor of Bidhannagar Municipality, met BJP leader Mukul Roy at his Salt Lake residence for tea. Roy spent close to two hours at Dutta’s residence.
The development comes amid speculations that Dutta and Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) mayor and minister Sovan Chatterjee might jump ship to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
According to NDTV, Hakim has been asked to summon an emergency meeting of all the councillors of Salt Lake area today.
Hakim said that the BJP has “all the money but no leaders” and that is why they are “going around with a begging bowl, asking everyone, will you be our candidate”.
According to DNA, some TMC leaders are also in talks with other various political parties.
“Yes, we are talking to many people and whatever we do, we will do together,” said Baisakhi Banerjee, who is the confidante of Chatterjee.
While Dutta and Roy maintain that the visit was a courtesy visit and “nothing to do with politics”, speculations are rife because of the coming Lok Sabha elections. Roy, a former TMC MP and Cabinet minister, left the party led by Mamata Banerjee in September 2017 and joined the BJP in November 2017.
Quoting a source, DNA reported that BJP national general secretary Kailash Vijayvargiya had had a word with Dutta over the phone.
Dutta has been missing from several party activities including Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s events in the last 2-3 months.