Narayan Rane, Mukul Roy to turn saffron?

New Delhi: Former Congress leader Narayan Rane and Trinamul MP Mukul Roy on Monday seemed headed for an early entry into the BJP amid speculation about Sangh Parivar’s plans to induct the two leaders for adding muscle to the party’s Maharashtra and West Bengal units.  

A week after quitting the Congress, Mr Rane, former Maharashtra chief minister, was in the national capital on Monday, giving rise to speculation that he will  meet BJP president Amit Shah ahead of his possible entry into the party.

BJP circles were also abuzz over Mr Roy, Trinamul’s Rajya Sabha MP, joining the party after he announced in Kolkata that he will resign from the party after Durga Puja – a decision that invited his suspension from the Trinamul for six months over alleged “anti-party” activities.

Mr Rane, who quit the Congress a week ago, had joined that party in 2005 after being expelled from the Shiv Sena. Sources said a section within BJP’s Maharash-tra unit is against Mr Rane joining the party because of corruption allegations against him.

On Mr Roy, BJP  national general secretary Kailash Vijayvargiya said that if he proposes to join the party, a decision will be taken after discussions with the BJP’s West Bengal leadership.

“Mukul Roy is free to take any decision. We have not got any proposal from him yet. If any proposal comes, we will discuss with the state leaders before taking any decision on him,” said Mr Vijayvargiya.

BJP leader and Cabinet minister in the Yogi Adityanath-led Uttar Pradesh government Siddharth Nath Singh, a former in-charge of the party in West Bengal, said, “I have no knowledge about Mukul Roy joining the party.” He however, said that TMC leaders will quit the party one by one.

West Bengal BJP president Dilip Ghosh said, “He (Roy) is a big leader. We will think if he approaches us.”

The TMC, led by West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee, had last week censured Mr Roy for allegedly hobnobbing with BJP leaders and said it was keeping a close watch on him.

Announcing his decision to dump the TMC, Mr Roy told reporters Kolkata, “I was the first signatory when the TMC was founded on December 17, 1997. I am announcing with a heavy heart and pain that I will resign from the party’s working committee today. I will resign as an MP as well as from the party’s primary membership after Durga Puja,”