Mukul Roy removed as TMC general secretary

Trinamool Congress on Saturday removed Mukul Roy, a former confidante of Mamata Banerjee, from the key post of party general secretary, a day after he was replaced as the party's leader in the Rajya Sabha.

In the midst of speculation of his rift with the TMC supremo, Roy, a founder member of the party who has been under Central Bureau of Investigation scanner in the Saradha chit fund scam, did not figure in the new 21-member working committee set up at Saturday’s working committee meeting.

The removal of Roy, who was till recently considered to be the number two in party organisation as the party's all-powerful all-India general secretary came during a fresh organisational shake-up, the second in the past fortnight.

Announcing the names of party office-bearers, TMC secretary general and state Education Minister Partha Chatterjee said Mamata Banerjee would continue as chairperson of the party and Subrata Bakshi, party's Lok Sabha member from South Kolkata, would be the sole general secretary of the party.

Roy skipped Saturday’s meeting presided over by Mamata Banerjee.

Now in Delhi, Roy had told reporters there on Friday that he would not be able to attend Saturday’s working committee meeting due to the union budget and some personal work.

Trinmool Congress’s official website today said Derek O'Brien, who was functioning as the chief whip of TMC parliamentary party in the Rajya Sabha, has been appointed in Roy's place as leader of the party in the upper House.

“Trinamool appointments in Parliament: Derek O'Brien -- Leader of the Party in Rajya Sabha. Sukhendu Sekhar Roy -- Chief Whip,” the website said.