Amid rising suspicion and unsuccessful settlement attempts, the Trinamool Congress suffered another blow when Baranagar MLA Tapas Roy announced his departure from the party. Roy, a veteran member with twenty-three years of service, expressed his dissatisfaction with a segment of the party in a public address to media, raising concerns about his prospective alignment with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
Roy addressed the media upon his departure, citing ongoing worries about corruption and internal struggle among the Trinamool ranks. He described himself as 'humiliated', 'disrespected', and 'neglected' in the aftermath of an Enforcement Directorate (ED) raid on his home, implying an inside conspiracy. "There was someone from the party behind the ED operation," he said.
Roy also bemoaned the party leadership's lack of support following the ED incident, criticising the Chief Minister's silence on the issue. This unhappiness resulted in his resignation from his MLA position, symbolically giving up his official vehicle in favour of coming at the Legislative Assembly in a private car.
Trinamool leaders Bratya Basu and Kunal Ghosh tried to persuade Roy not to defect, but Roy refused. He said that Ghosh had given a'showdown notice' during their meeting, highlighting the deepening division within the party.
Roy's decreasing engagement in party operations following the ED raid did not go ignored, sparking suspicions of his resignation. His conspicuous absence from the Legislative Assembly's winter session and his assembly seat of Baranagar hinted to his impending resignation.
Roy's resignation fueled speculation that he may run against Sudip Banerjee for the North Kolkata seat from the Saffron party.
In response to Roy's resignation, Locket Chattopadhyay, a major BJP politician, slammed the Trinamool, accusing it of abandoning its core ideals. "The Trinamool Party cannot be made by good people," Chattopadhyay claimed, implying a move towards corruption and malpractice inside the party ranks.