Mukul Roy Passes Away: Mamata Banerjee Condoles Demise of Former Union Railway Minister After Prolonged Illness

Mukul Roy, Former Union Railway Minister and veteran politician, passed away in Kolkata due to cardiac arrest in the early hours of Monday, February 23. He last breathed at Apollo Hospital in Salt Lake Hospital, Kolkata at 1.30 am. Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee  condoled the death of Roy in a tweet. Roy was once regarded as West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s most trusted lieutenant and the TMC’s principal strategist.A former union minister and two-time Rajya Sabha member from West Bengal, Roy’s four-decade-long political journey saw his stints in the Congress, TMC and the BJP.

Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee tweets, "I am deeply shocked and grieved by the sudden news of the demise of veteran politician Mukul Roy. He was my long-time political colleague and a comrade-in-arms in many political struggles. The news of his departure has left me heartbroken.  The late Mukul Roy devoted his life to the party from the very inception of the Trinamool Congress. He served as a Union Minister and enjoyed acceptability across all levels of the party. Later, he took a different path, only to return again. His contributions to Bengal's politics and his organizational acumen are unforgettable. Regardless of party affiliations, the political circles will feel his absence.  I extend my heartfelt condolences to the family and admirers of this experienced leader and colleague. I will tell Shubhranshu: Steel yourself: In this crisis, we are with you,’’ Banerjee wrote on X.

Known as the “Chanakya" of Bengal politics for his organisational skills and strategic acumen, he was often regarded as the second-in-command in the All India Trinamool Congress (TMC). From the days of the Singur and Nandigram movements to the party’s rise to power in West Bengal, Roy played a crucial role alongside Banerjee.Roy served as minister of state in the Ministry of Shipping and later in the Ministry of Railways during the second United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government. After Mamata Banerjee resigned as Railway Minister to become chief minister of West Bengal, Roy was given additional charge of the Railways Ministry. Banerjee had expressed her desire for the TMC to retain the Railways portfolio and personally recommended Roy to then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

Before the formation of the TMC, Roy was a member of the Indian National Congress. In 2017, he distanced himself from the Trinamool Congress and resigned from the party on September 25 that year. He was later suspended for six years for anti-party activities and resigned from his Rajya Sabha membership on October 11, 2017. Subsequently, he joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), remaining with the party from 2017 to 2021. He contested the 2021 West Bengal assembly elections as a BJP candidate but returned to the TMC after the results were announced. On June 11, 2021, he rejoined the Trinamool Congress in the presence of Mamata Banerjee, along with his son.