Veteran Trinamool Congress Rajya Sabha MP Sukhendu Sekhar Ray resigned on Monday from both the party and the Upper House of Parliament, becoming the highest-profile parliamentary leader to sever ties with the ruling Bengal outfit amid an escalating internal crisis.
Ray, one of the party's most senior faces in Parliament and a long-time confidant of the Trinamool leadership, submitted his resignation from the Rajya Sabha to Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar in New Delhi before formally communicating his decision to the party leadership.
The resignation comes at a time when the Trinamool Congress is battling one of the most turbulent phases in its history, following a rebellion within its legislative ranks in West Bengal and growing speculation of unrest among its Members of Parliament.
Speaking after stepping down, Ray said he had been dissatisfied within the party for some time. "I was unhappy in the party," Ray said, explaining his decision to quit.
In his resignation communication, the veteran parliamentarian is understood to have expressed concerns about the state of internal democracy within the organisation and the direction in which the party was moving. Reports indicated that he had also praised the BJP-led central government's functioning on certain fronts while outlining his reasons for leaving the Trinamool Congress.
“The voters have, for the first time in Bengal’s history, given the Bharatiya Janata Party a massive victory in terms of seats. The newly elected government has already begun working to implement multiple programmes for Bengal’s overall development and reconstruction, in line with its election promises," Shekhar wrote on his resignation letter.
Ray's resignation follows a series of public remarks that had fuelled speculation about his future in the party.
Just days ago, amid the turmoil triggered by defections and rebellion within the Trinamool, the Rajya Sabha MP had hinted that the crisis could spread beyond the state legislature to Parliament. He had suggested that unrest was brewing among the party's MPs and openly questioned the leadership's handling of internal dissent.
On his way to Delhi earlier this week, Ray had delivered a stark warning about the party's future, remarking that political collapses often become "total and consuming" if corrective measures are not taken in time.
Ray's departure is being viewed as a significant setback for Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee, who has been attempting to contain the fallout from an unprecedented internal revolt that has shaken the party's organisational and legislative structure.
A Rajya Sabha member since 2011, Ray served as one of Trinamool's most experienced parliamentary strategists and was for years the party's chief whip in the Upper House. Known for his legal and procedural expertise, he frequently represented the party on key national issues and was among its most visible voices in Parliament.
