Source : INDIA TODAY NEWS
Veteran Trinamool Congress MP Sukhendu Sekhar Ray on Thursday claimed that the internal dissent that has shaken the party following its rout in the West Bengal polls was only the beginning and warned a similar situation could soon unfold in the Lok Sabha. The Mamata Banerjee-led party currently has 29 members in the Lower House.
In an exclusive interview with India Today TV, the 77-year-old Rajya Sabha MP said he was “physically” with the TMC, but “mentally out of the party”. He said he was “not surprised” by the recent exodus of TMC legislators and reiterated his prediction that the party would gradually disintegrate.
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“I am not surprised that MLAs are moving out of Mamata Banerjee‘s fold. I had said in 2024, after the RG Kar case, that the TMC would disintegrate. The party is over. It will fall like a pack of cards. What is happening now is exactly that,” he said.
Ray went further, suggesting that the internal crisis would soon extend beyond the Assembly. “In the Lok Sabha, the Bengal situation will be the same in a few months. A majority (of our members) will go… I am mentally not in the TMC. Physically, I am still there. Why should I stay with looters and thieves?”
Asked whether the crisis would spill over to the Rajya Sabha, Ray did not rule out such a situation. “Such a process has not started in the Rajya Sabha yet, but it also could happen there,” he said.
Ray’s remarks come against the backdrop of an unprecedented split within the TMC. The crisis deepened after 60 of 80 MLAs broke ranks and projected expelled first-time legislator Ritabrata Banerjee as the leader of their faction. Subsequently, the Speaker recognised Ritabrata as the Leader of Opposition, a move that has angered the party. However, Ritabrata said the faction would recognise Mamata Banerjee as the TMC chief and not her nephew Abhishek Banerjee, considered No.2 in party.
The LoP controversy goes back to allegations that surfaced when the signatures of Ritabrata and Sandipan Saha, another MLA, on documents submitted to the Assembly had been forged. The dissident camp denied the allegations. Subsequently, the TMC-backed camp proposed Sobhandeb Chattopadhyay for the post of Leader of the Opposition, but the move failed to secure recognition, further exposing divisions within the party.
The developments have triggered speculation about the stability of the TMC’s legislative strength and whether more leaders could switch sides.
Asked whether he was considering joining another party, including the BJP, Ray said he had not yet made up his mind. “I have spent 69 years in politics. Such a decision cannot be taken overnight. I will have to deliberate whether I should leave the party, leave politics altogether, or take some other path,” he said.
RAY BLAMES CORRUPTION, RG KAR CASE FOR TMC’S DOWNFALL
The Rajya Sabha MP blamed the party’s troubles on what he described as a failure of introspection after major controversies, particularly the RG Kar rape-murder case.
“Corruption and atrocities against women culminated in the RG Kar incident. There was no introspection. There was no meeting, no discussion about politics. Leaders were only told to attend rallies and programmes. There was no exchange of views,” he said.
According to Ray, the party leadership repeatedly ignored warning signs from the public.
“People gave signals again and again. The government either did not understand them, did not accept them, or understood them but chose to ignore them. The result is there for everyone to see,” he said.
He also argued that the current rebellion was unprecedented in West Bengal‘s political history.
“In all my years in politics, I have never seen anything like this in the history of the Bengal Assembly. Several MLAs leaving together and openly challenging the party leadership is something we have never witnessed before,” the MP said.
SLAMS TMC’S FUNCTIONING
Questioning the internal functioning of the TMC, Ray claimed there was no mechanism for leaders and workers to voice concerns.
“When a party is out of power or faces a major crisis, there should be a forum where people can speak freely. Nobody was ready to listen. There was no place where leaders could express their views,” he said.
Ray also launched a broader attack on the TMC government’s governance record, alleging that corruption and the lack of industrial growth had alienated voters.
“Forty-nine years of Left rule and Trinamool rule have devastated Bengal. Young people are leaving the state because there are no jobs. On the one hand, there is unemployment, and on the other hand, there is corruption. How long can a state continue like this?” he asked.
The veteran MP maintained that the erosion of public support, rather than any internal conspiracy, was responsible for the current crisis. “We did not break the party. The people broke the party,” he said.
RAY PRAISES SUVENDU ADHIKARI
In remarks likely to fuel further speculation about his political future, Ray also praised Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari, calling him an effective and visible leader.
“We have seen Suvendu Adhikari fighting on the streets, in the Assembly and wherever party workers face trouble. As Leader of the Opposition, we have seen him constantly confronting the government,” he said.
Asserting it was too early to judge the BJP government’s performance in West Bengal, Ray added that Adhikari had made a “good start” and appeared focused on rebuilding a state that he claimed had suffered from decades of political misgovernance.
While stopping short of announcing his resignation, Ray’s declaration that he was “mentally out” of the TMC and his prediction of further defections are likely to intensify pressure on the Mamata Banerjee-led party as it grapples with its biggest internal challenge since its formation in 1998.
– Ends
SOURCE :- TIMES OF INDIA
