Sushmita Dev resigns from Rajya Sabha, deepening TMC crisis

In yet another setback to Trinamool Congress (TMC) supremo Mamata Banerjee, another party MP, Sushmita Dev from the Rajya Sabha, resigned on Wednesday (June 10). The development comes close on the heels of senior TMC MP Sukhendu Sekhar Ray’s resignation from the party and the Upper House.

Resignation letter to Rajya Sabha chairperson

"I do hereby resign from the membership of Rajya Sabha, which may please be accepted with immediate effect," stated Dev in her resignation letter to Rajya Sabha chairman CP Radhakrishnan.

Also Read: TMC split buzz grows as party cites anti-defection law amid MP breakaway talk

The report further stated that soon after her resignation, a photo of a smiling Dev Assam Chief Minister Himanta Sarma surfaced online.

Dev is the former president of All India Mahila Congress. After facing defeat in the 2019 Lok Sabha election to BJP candidate Rajdeep Roy, she resigned from the Congress and joined the TMC in 2021. She also served as a national spokesperson for the TMC.

Questions over TMC’s unity

The latest developments have raised questions over Banerjee's ability to keep the party united after leading it through three consecutive terms in power, with both legislators and parliamentarians appearing increasingly divided.

Also Read: TMC on the brink: Parliamentary split, CID searches and growing rebellion

The first signs of trouble emerged earlier when MLA Ritabrata Banerjee claimed the post of Leader of Opposition in the state Assembly, asserting that he had the backing of 58 legislators. Days later, TMC MP Kakoli Ghosh publicly voiced support for a separate faction, claiming the support of 19 rebel MPs and expressing willingness to back the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA).

Ray's exit adds pressure

Adding to the party's troubles, Ray, one of the party's most prominent voices in Parliament, announced his resignation in Delhi just hours before a meeting of the INDIA bloc. The meeting was scheduled to be attended by Mamata and the party's national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee.

In a statement, Ray cited what he described as rampant corruption in governance and the party organisation, and said public anger against the erstwhile TMC dispensation had reached alarming levels.