Daijiworld Media Network - Kolkata
Kolkata, Jul 16: The Trinamool Congress (TMC) suffered another setback on Thursday after Rajya Sabha MP Rukmini Mallick, popularly known as actor Koel Mallick, resigned from the Upper House just months after taking oath, adding to the growing political crisis facing West Bengal Chief Minister and TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee.
Mallick submitted her resignation to Rajya Sabha Chairman C P Radhakrishnan.
"I do hereby resign from the membership of Rajya Sabha, which may please be accepted with immediate effect," she wrote in her resignation letter.
She also thanked the Rajya Sabha Secretariat for its support during her brief tenure.
"I convey my sincere gratitude to your Excellency, Hon'ble Deputy Chairman and all functionaries of the Rajya Sabha Secretariat extending all help and cooperation during my tenure as a Member of the Rajya Sabha," she said.
Mallick has not publicly disclosed the reason for stepping down.
The actor-turned-politician, daughter of veteran Bengali actor Ranjit Mallick, was nominated to the Rajya Sabha by the TMC ahead of the West Bengal Assembly elections, along with singer-politician Babul Supriyo, former West Bengal Director General of Police Rajeev Kumar and senior advocate Menaka Guruswamy. Her nomination was widely viewed as an effort by the party to leverage her popularity in the state.
She took oath as a Rajya Sabha member in April, wearing a traditional white saree with a red border and taking the oath in Bengali.
Her resignation reduces the TMC's strength in the Rajya Sabha from 10 to nine and comes as the party continues to grapple with a series of defections following its defeat to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the recent West Bengal Assembly elections.
The latest development follows Wednesday's resignation of senior TMC MLA Madan Mitra, who joined the rebel camp in the West Bengal Assembly and stepped down from all party posts. Mitra accused the party leadership of placing excessive emphasis on promoting TMC national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee, saying he could no longer function effectively within the organisation.
His resignation came a day after the Enforcement Directorate (ED) summoned his wife and two sons for questioning in connection with a corruption-linked case.
Responding to Mitra's exit, Mamata Banerjee claimed he had left the party out of "fear" of the ED and dismissed allegations that Abhishek Banerjee was responsible for the rebellion.
Addressing party workers on Wednesday, Banerjee also attacked the BJP, alleging that its supporters had wished for her death after the Assembly election results.
"Do not try to age-shame anyone. On the day of the election result, lumpens of the BJP wished me death by heart attack. I will stay alive till I see your end," she said.
She maintained that the party continued to enjoy public support despite the recent setbacks.
"I will fight for the common people and the workers. I have enough workers; many new people are also joining us," Banerjee added.
The political turmoil within the TMC has unfolded in multiple phases since the Assembly election results. Weeks after the polls, 60 of the party's 80 MLAs broke away under the leadership of Ritabrata, citing dissatisfaction with the growing influence of Abhishek Banerjee. The Assembly Speaker subsequently recognised Ritabrata as the Leader of the Opposition.
The crisis deepened further when 20 Lok Sabha MPs, several of them long-time associates of Mamata Banerjee, merged with the Nationalist Citizens Party of India (NCPI) and extended support to the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA).