New Delhi: Dealing yet another severe blow to the party, Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Sukhendu Sekhar Ray resigned from the Rajya Sabha on Monday. He also announced his resignation from the primary membership of the party.
As if this was not enough, another Rajya Sabha MP is also slated to put in her papers later during the day.
This comes even as TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee is in Delhi to attend the INDI Alliance meeting.
The 77-year-old Ray, a lawyer from north Bengal, had been expressing his displeasure about the goings-on in the party ever since the rape and murder of a PG intern at the state-run R G Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata in 2024.
The MP had taken to the street along with other protesters after the incident and had later been summoned for questioning by the Kolkata Police. Ray’s exit marks the first major jolt for Mamata after a revolt
by 58 of her 80 MLAs in the West Bengal Assembly.
His resignation letter, in which he praises the BJP, is also a major embarrassment for the party.
“In the recently held election to the West Bengal Legislative Assembly, the people have given huge mandate in favour of the Bharatiya Janata Party for the first time in the history of the state to put an end to 15-year anarchical rule of the Trinamool Congress arising out of widespread unbridled corruption, atrocities committed against women, abysmal failure in the field of health, education, industry, law and order, employment, etc,” he wrote, as reported by PTI.
“Meanwhile, the newly elected people’s government has started taking initiatives for overall development and reconstruction of West Bengal as per its Election Manifesto,” he added.
“In respectful acceptance of this historic verdict of the people, I have resigned today from the Rajya Sabha (Council of States) as a member and also from the primary membership of the All India Trinamool Congress, VOX POPULI, VOX DEI,” Ray added.
The leader, who has been a Rajya Sabha member since 2011, had his wings clipped in 2024 after his open protests against the R G Kar rape and murder case. He was removed from the position of editor of the party mouthpiece Jago Bangla and also replaced as the chief whip in the Rajya Sabha.
The TMC’s strength in the Rajya Sabha has now come down to 12 with his resignation. Insiders believe that it can come down further with more leaders preparing to call it quits.