Sukhendu resigns as Trinamool RS MP, quits party membership

Kolkata: On a day Trinamool's Lok Sabha MPs split to form a rebel bloc, its Rajya Sabha MP Sukhendu Sekhar Ray resigned with nearly three years of his parliamentary term remaining.A vocal critic of the TMC leadership, Ray on Monday also severed all ties with Trinamool by quitting its primary membership. Rajya Sabha chairman CP Radhakrishnan accepted Ray's resignation and declared the seat vacant.Another TMC RS MP, actor Koel Mallick, is also likely to take the resignation route after seeking an appointment with the Rajya Sabha chairperson. She, however, did not speak to the media regarding her political future and or respond to text messages from TOI.Addressing reporters in New Delhi, Ray hit out at the TMC leadership over unchecked corruption and its handling of the RG Kar Medical College rape-murder case. He also accused police officials of tampering with evidence to shield the culprits."I was sidelined in the party for a long time, though I participated in protests against the (RG Kar) crime," Ray said."Elected members did not have their feet on the ground. Touts, dacoits and rapists came to the fore, while the real worker was forced to step back," he said.Ray claimed Bengal's people had "rejected TMC's rampant corruption, extreme oppression of women and its utter failure, alongside the severe anarchy prevailing across sectors, including education, healthcare, industry, employment and law and order". The RG Kar movement was not about a single incident but a warning signal for democracy, he said.Voters have, for the first time in Bengal's history, given BJP a massive victory in terms of seats, Ray said, adding: "The newly elected govt has started working to implement multiple programmes for Bengal's development and reconstruction, in line with its election promises."He also claimed that the INDIA bloc meeting would lead to nothing and was merely an effort to pull "themselves out of a hole".A former Congress neta who shared close ties with late President Pranab Mukherjee, 77-year-old Ray joined Trinamool and had served in the Rajya Sabha since 2011. Known for his parliamentary experience, he functioned as the party's deputy leader in the Upper House until 2019 and remained its chief whip until 2024.An MP loyal to the Mamata Banerjee camp said: "We may have differences with him (Ray) but he has done the right thing by resigning. He is now free to speak out. This should be a lesson to all those detractors who, after being elected on a Trinamool Congress symbol using Mamata Banerjee's face, choose to attack her once the polls were over."