A string of resignations and growing rebellion among MPs have intensified pressure on the Trinamool Congress leadership as questions emerge over the party’s future direction.
File image: TMC leader Sushmita Dev addresses the Rajya Sabha. Her resignation from Parliament and the party comes amid growing unrest and a series of exits following the West Bengal Assembly election defeat. (Photo: IANS/Video Grab/Sansad TV)
Trinamool Congress found itself battling another political setback on Wednesday after Rajya Sabha MP Sushmita Dev resigned from both the party and the Upper House, adding to a string of departures that have rocked the organisation since its defeat in the West Bengal Assembly elections.
The resignation comes at a time when the Mamata Banerjee-led party is facing an internal churn, with multiple leaders walking away and a section of MPs openly challenging the party leadership.
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Dev submitted her resignation from the Rajya Sabha in a letter addressed to the Chair, expressing gratitude to the House authorities and officials for their support during her tenure.
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“I do hereby resign from the membership of Rajya Sabha, which may please be accepted with immediate effect. I convey my sincere gratitude to your Excellency, Hon’ble Deputy Chairman and all functionaries of the Rajya Sabha Secretariat extending all help and cooperation during my tenure as a Member of the Rajya Sabha,” she wrote.
Her resignation came on a day she also met Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma in New Delhi, triggering speculation about her future political plans. There has been no official announcement regarding a possible move to the BJP.
Before joining the TMC, Dev was associated with the Congress. She is the daughter of late Congress leader and former Union Minister Santosh Mohan Dev.
Dev’s exit follows the resignation of Rajya Sabha MP Sukhendu Sekhar Ray, who stepped down from both Parliament and the party on June 8.
In his resignation, Ray blamed the party’s electoral defeat on what he described as the consequences of “15-year anarchical rule” under the TMC government.
The back-to-back resignations have intensified speculation about divisions within the party, particularly after reports of a group of MPs seeking a separate identity in Parliament.
According to ANI, rebel TMC MP Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar confirmed that a group of 20 Lok Sabha MPs had approached the Speaker seeking separate seating arrangements.
“We are 20 MPs who have requested the Speaker for separate seating, and we will be working in conjunction of the Central and State Government for the development of West Bengal,” she said.
Meetings involving rebel MPs, Union Minister and BJP’s West Bengal election in-charge Bhupender Yadav, and Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari have further fuelled speculation about the faction’s future political course.
Under the anti-defection provisions of the Tenth Schedule of the Constitution, any group seeking protection from disqualification would require support from at least two-thirds of the parliamentary party in the event of a merger.
Even as the party grapples with internal dissent, senior leaders have been engaged in discussions with Congress leaders in New Delhi.
TMC MP Abhishek Banerjee met Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi at 10 Janpath, while party chief Mamata Banerjee held talks with Congress Parliamentary Party chairperson Sonia Gandhi a day earlier.
The political uncertainty has also extended to the West Bengal Assembly, where expelled TMC MLA Ritabrata Banerjee has emerged as a key figure in a separate faction backed by 58 legislators. He was later elected Leader of Opposition, replacing Sobhandev Chattopadhyay.
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