BJP leader Mukul Roy's brother-in-law joins TMC

A BJP leader, who the TrinamoolCongress said is a brother-in-law of the saffron party'snational vice-president Mukul Roy, rejoined the ruling partyof West Bengal on Wednesday.

Srijan Roy returned to the TMC months before theassembly elections in the state amid the exodus from the partyto the BJP.

Handing over the party flag to Srijan Roy and twoothers, TMC spokesperson and West Bengal minister Bratya Basusaid that he was a TMC veteran who had switched sides to theBJP in 2019.

Basu said that Srijan Roy is a brother-in-law of MukulRoy.

Mukul Roy, who was once considered the number two inthe TMC, defected to the BJP in 2017.

''The politics which is going on in West Bengal isagainst our ideals. We need to strengthen the hands of partysupremo Mamata Banerjee to ensure that secularism flourishesin the state,'' Srijan Roy said after coming back to the TMC.

Besides him, Bengali film actor and model NilanjanaMajumdar and lawyer Jyotiprakash Chattopadhyay, also joinedthe TMC.

Basu said that Chattopadhyay represented TMC leadersin the Narada sting tapes case in the Calcutta High Court.

People resembling Trinamool Congress MPs, ministersand MLAs were seen receiving money in lieu of promised favoursin the Narada sting tapes in 2016.

Elections to the 294-member West Bengal assembly arelikely to be held in April-May this year.