NEW DELHI: Wading straight into the political battlefield against BJP in the state, West Bengal chief minister and Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee sent out a stern message on Friday to party leaders suspected to be hobnobbing with the saffron camp. "Anyone who wants to leave and is hobnobbing with BJP is free to go and join it," Banerjee is learnt to have said while addressing TMC 's core committee meeting in Kolkata on Friday.The TMC chief has already started acting against those she suspects to be aiding BJP, which is trying its best to gain ground in the state but does not have the enough leaders on the ground and hence is banking on breaking ranks within TMC and other parties. Now, Roy has also been removed from the parliamentary consultative committee on home affairs as also from the party's internal subcommittees for parliamentary functioning like those on media and parliamentary questions and issues. Party veterans feel Roy may not be able to retain his RS seat for a third term after March. TMC's Rajya Sabha leader Derek O'Brien replaced Roy as chairman of the standing committee on transport and tourism.

Source: Times of India September 09, 2017 00:42 UTC