“I have not committed any wrong, either as a party representative or as an individual,” Trinamool Congress (TMC) general secretary Mukul Roy, who has been summoned by the Central Bureau of Investigation in connection with the Saradha scam, said on Sunday.
Mr. Roy was speaking at a workers’ meet at Bongaon in West Bengal’s North 24 Parganas district, ahead of the by-election in the Bongaon Lok Sabha constituency.
Mr. Roy’s public appearance is significant as it indicates that the party is extending its support to the leader.
A few days ago, West Bengal Chief Minister and TMC chairperson Mamata Banerjee had said at a closed door meeting that, “if something happens to Mukul, thousands of Mukuls will hit the streets in protest.”
Speaking at the rally, Mr. Roy claimed that while all other parties’ vote share had reduced in the State, the TMC had managed to increase its vote share by 100 per cent.
“This by-election is a challenge. There have been two by-elections in the State after the 2014 Lok Sabha elections — Chowringhee and Basirhat constituencies. While we were trailing by 1,500 votes in Chowringhee in the Lok Sabha polls, we won by 15,000 votes in the by-election. In the by-election in Chowringhee, we beat the Bharatiya Janata Party by over 30,000 votes… And yet, no party has alleged any illegal practices like rigging or booth capturing during the by-elections,” Mr. Roy said.
