TMC Suffers Major Blow In Parliament As Rajya Sabha MP Sukhendu Sekhar Ray Resigns, Quits Party

New Delhi: The Trinamool Congress (TMC) suffered a major blow in Parliament on Monday as senior Rajya Sabha MP Sukhendu Sekhar Ray resigned from the Upper House and also quit the party.

The development comes amid a deepening rebellion within the party after the revolt by a large section of TMC MLAs led by Ritabrata Banerjee in West Bengal. Ray had recently warned that the unrest in the Assembly could spill over into Parliament as well.

Ray's exit marks the first major parliamentary jolt from the ongoing internal crisis within the party.

In his resignation letter Ray wrote, "In the recently held election to the West Bengal Legislative Assembly, the people have given huge mandate in favour of the Bhartiya 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."

Lauding the BJP government, he said"Meanwhile, the newly elected people's government has started taking initiatives for overall development and reconstruction of West Bengal as per its Election Manifesto."

"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," he added.

However, the trouble is far from over as TMC's Rajya Sabha member Koel Mallick is also set to resign on Monday, India TV reported, citing sources.

TMC strength in Rajya Sabha

The TMC has 13 members in the Upper House, but the resignations of Ray and Mallick would bring its strength down to 11.