Mamata Banerjee Encourages Departing TMC Members to Leave Quickly Amid Resignations

Mamata Banerjee's Response to Party Resignations

On Thursday, Mamata Banerjee, the leader of the Trinamool Congress (TMC), stated that those wishing to leave the party are welcome to do so as soon as possible. She expressed her understanding of the pressure exerted by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on several leaders through the use of central forces. This statement followed the resignation of Rajya Sabha member Koel Mallick just hours earlier, who has since joined the BJP. Banerjee, a former Chief Minister of West Bengal, conveyed her message to party workers via a video, urging those feeling pressured by the BJP, Enforcement Directorate (ED), Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), and police to depart promptly. "I have just read the Constitution... we are not desperate," she remarked.

Mallick, whose real name is Rukmini Mallick, resigned from the upper house after meeting with Union Minister Bhupender Yadav in Delhi. Following Banerjee's loss of power in the recent West Bengal assembly elections, Mallick became the fourth TMC leader to resign from the Rajya Sabha.

While Mallick did not specify the reasons for her resignation, speculation suggests she may be joining the BJP. In her resignation letter, she stated, "I hereby resign from my membership of the Rajya Sabha, which I request to be accepted with immediate effect." She expressed gratitude to the Deputy Chairman and all officials of the Rajya Sabha Secretariat for their support during her tenure.

Prior to Mallick, Sukendu Shekhar Roy, Sushmita Dev, and Prakash Chik Barik had also resigned from the Rajya Sabha and left the TMC, subsequently joining the BJP, which nominated them for the Rajya Sabha by-elections.

The resignations of Roy, Dev, and Barik have posed significant challenges for the TMC, which is already grappling with rebellion issues in the West Bengal assembly and Lok Sabha. With Mallick's departure, the TMC's representation in the Rajya Sabha has decreased from 13 to 9, leaving it to be seen how Banerjee will address this rebellion.