Mukul Roy to skip TMC meeting

Says he will not be able to attend party's working committee meeting due to the union budget and some personal work

Amid speculation of a rift between him and Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee, party all-India general secretary Mukul Roy today said that he will not be able to attend the party's working committee meeting here tomorrow due to the union budget and some personal work.

"I have got a letter that tomorrow there is a working committee meeting of the party. I am still in the Parliament and there is budget tomorrow. I also have personal work, so I will not be able to go there. I am informing them in writing that due to some personal reasons and Parliament session I will not be able to go to the meeting tomorrow," Roy, who is in Delhi, told a TV channel.

Earlier on February 14, Roy was conspicuous by his absence from a meeting at Mamata Banerjee's residence to discuss the party's preparedness for the coming civic polls.

TMC had initiated the process of clipping the wings of Roy in a major reshuffle of the organisation on February 14 when it had appointed MP Subrata Bakshi as additional all-India general secretary.

Asked about his meeting with Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley yesterday, Roy said "he is the Finance Minister and leader of Rajya Sabha. I am a member of Rajya Sabha. I can talk to him. I do not think that I have crossed my boundaries." "In politics it is not a crime to keep in touch with leaders of different political parties. I have contacts with with leaders from other parties like Congress, BJP, CPI(M), CPI," Roy said.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee today refused to comment when asked to react on the TMC general secretary Mukul Roy's praise for the Rail Budget presented yesterday.

"This is an absolutely state finance matter. We have answered all queries regarding the state budget," Banerjee said when asked to comment on Roy's statement at a press conference held after state Budget. Roy yesterday had praised the Rail Budget, in contrast to the official party stand, which had stated it as "anti-people and anti-development" aimed only at befooling people.