Kolkata/IBNS: West Bengal's ruling Trinamool Congress removed its former Rajya Sabha MP Kunal Ghosh from the post of state general secretary on Wednesday hours after he shared the dais with North Kolkata Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate Tapas Roy at an event and praised his role as an MLA during his stint with the TMC earlier. 

The TMC has clarified that the statements made by Ghosh are his own and the party does not endorse the same.

In a press statement, TMC Rajya Sabha MP Derek O'Brien said: “Recently, Mr. Kunal Ghosh has been expressing views that do not align with those of the party. It is important to clarify that these are his personal opinions and should not be attributed to the party. Only statements issued from AITC headquarters should be considered the official position of the party.”

“Mr. Ghosh was previously relieved from his role as party spokesperson. Now, he has been removed from the position of General Secretary of the state organization. We urge all media outlets not to conflate his views with those of the party, as doing so may necessitate legal action,” the statement said.

Ghosh, who had wished to quit as party's state general secretary in March and resigned as the spokesperson, attended a blood donation camp with Roy in North Kolkata earlier in the day.

Speaking at the event, the TMC leader said: I wanted Tapas Da (Roy) to remain in our party. Even as our political outfits changed, I can't deny his role as an able MLA. If you ask me personally about his MP candidature, I would say that he will make a good one if voted for."

He went on to say: "I urge everyone to stop rigging in this constituency and allow voters to decide the fate of the candidates."

TMC candidate Sudip Bandyopadhyay is contesting from North Kolkata, where polling will be held in the last phase of the ongoing Lok Sabha elections on June 1.

Both Ghosh and erstwhile TMC leader Tapas Roy had openly spoken about their differences with Bandyopadhyay.

Roy even quit the TMC and joined the saffron camp expressing displeasure with the functioning of his former party and accused Bandyopadhyay as the mastermind behind the Enforcement Directorate raids at his house in connection with the alleged irregularities in civic body recruitments.