Both the All India Trinamool Congress (TMC) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) have turned on Sumit Roy, the absconding executive assistant of Trinamool MP and party General Secretary Abhishek Banerjee, accusing him of corruption and abuse of influence. The rare cross-party censure follows West Bengal Police raids on Saturday at multiple locations linked to Roy — including his Kolkata residence, a house in Hooghly district, and his in-laws' home — all of which he had already vacated.

What the Raids Uncovered

Roy remains untraceable despite the searches. According to reports, an FIR has been registered at Bishnupur Police Station in connection with an alleged ₹250 crore corruption case linked to relief work during Cyclone Amphan. Suspended Trinamool leader Riju Dutta disclosed that the FIR has also been filed against Abhishek Banerjee himself, though Banerjee has not publicly responded to the allegation.

What Trinamool Said

Trinamool MLA Kunal Ghosh did not spare Roy, alleging he had built a 'separate power centre' outside formal party structures. 'Parallelly, he had his own group and his own circle. He was not a secretary but was running a fan club around the secretary. The police should have picked up all the fan club people from the house,' Ghosh told reporters.

However, Ghosh drew a line at the manner of the police action, saying: 'The police going to Abhishek Banerjee's house at 3 a.m. to find Sumit Roy appears to be political vendetta and should not happen.' The remark signals an internal tension within the party — distancing itself from Roy while shielding its top leadership from scrutiny.

What BJP Alleged

Union Minister of State and BJP leader Sukanta Majumdar went further, alleging that Roy effectively controlled police postings and transfers across the state. 'Everyone connected with politics and administration knows that Sumit was the one who used to run everything. He used to decide which police officer or Superintendent of Police would be transferred, where they would be posted, and who had to pay money for what purpose,' Majumdar alleged.

BJP leader Abhijit Das linked Roy's alleged influence to broader governance failures in West Bengal, claiming that panchayat elections had been suppressed and that Cyclone Amphan funds released by the Centre in 2020 were misused. 'During the Amphan cyclone in 2020, the Centre had released a lot of funds which were misused due to Abhishek Banerjee,' he alleged.

Background and Context

The Amphan cyclone struck West Bengal in May 2020, causing widespread devastation. Allegations of relief fund irregularities have surfaced periodically since then, but the registration of a fresh FIR — reportedly naming Abhishek Banerjee — marks a significant escalation. This is not the first time Roy has been accused of wielding disproportionate influence; critics within the party have previously raised concerns about informal power structures around senior Trinamool leadership.

With Roy still at large and the FIR on record, the case is likely to intensify political pressure on Abhishek Banerjee ahead of the next electoral cycle in West Bengal.