Kolkata, Feb 23: Former Union railway minister and veteran West Bengal politician Mukul Roy, once a key strategist of the Trinamool Congress and close aide of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, died of cardiac arrest at a private hospital in Kolkata early Monday. He was 71.
Roy, who had been battling multiple ailments and dementia and had recently slipped into a coma, breathed his last around 1.30 am at a Salt Lake hospital, his son Subhranshu Roy said. He is survived by his son, and his body will be taken to his residence before last rites later in the day.
A former Union minister and two-time Rajya Sabha MP, Roy’s four-decade political career spanned the Congress, the Trinamool Congress and the BJP. Beginning in the Youth Congress, he joined Banerjee in founding the TMC in 1998 and rose to become its general secretary and principal troubleshooter in Delhi.
Elected to the Rajya Sabha in 2006, he became TMC’s leader in the Upper House in 2009. In the UPA-2 government, he served as minister of state for shipping before becoming railway minister in 2012. Known as a skilled organisational strategist, he played a major role in consolidating TMC’s hold in West Bengal after its 2011 victory.
His career also saw controversies, including links alleged in the Saradha and Narada cases. After falling out with the TMC leadership, he joined the BJP in 2017 and was credited with strengthening its base in West Bengal ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha polls. Elected BJP MLA from Krishnanagar Uttar in 2021, he soon returned to the TMC, leading to legal disputes and his disqualification under the anti-defection law.
Though he rejoined the TMC, declining health saw him withdraw from active politics. Often dubbed the “Chanakya” of West Bengal politics, Roy remained a pivotal behind-the-scenes figure in the state’s political landscape.
West Bengal Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari condoled his death, expressing condolences to the family and praying for his soul’s peace. (Agencies)
