KOLKATA: In a major setback for the Trinamool Congress amid a deepening internal rebellion, Rajya Sabha MP Sukhendu Sekhar Roy on Monday announced his resignation from the party.Roy’s exit comes days after the TMC suffered one of the biggest rebellions in its history, with 58 of its 80 MLAs in the West Bengal Assembly breaking away from the party’s legislature wing and securing recognition as the principal opposition bloc under expelled MLA Ritabrata Banerjee.The resignation has heightened concerns within the party that the rebellion, which has already upended the TMC’s position in the Assembly, could now spread to Parliament.Mamata Banerjee reached Delhi on Sunday, while party national general secretary and Lok Sabha leader Abhishek Banerjee had arrived a day earlier amid frantic efforts by the leadership to prevent further defections.According to party sources, the TMC is trying to avoid expelling dissident MPs and instead hopes to prevent rebels from gathering the two-thirds support required under anti-defection rules to split the parliamentary party. In the Lok Sabha, the TMC has 28 MPs, meaning at least 19 members would be needed to form a separate group without attracting disqualification.Reports suggest rebel MPs are considering approaching Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla to seek recognition as a separate bloc and remove Abhishek Banerjee as the party’s parliamentary leader.The crisis has triggered intense political activity in Delhi, with senior TMC leaders engaged in backchannel talks aimed at containing the damage and preventing more MPs from crossing over.Only days ago, Roy had publicly warned that the Assembly revolt could be replicated in Parliament, saying a similar reaction was possible in both the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha. His departure is likely to fuel speculation that more leaders may follow suit.The rebellion, directed largely against Abhishek Banerjee’s growing influence within the organisation, has been informally dubbed “Operation Crown Prince” by dissident leaders.Despite the turmoil, senior TMC leaders have sought to project confidence. Party MP Sougata Roy accused the BJP of attempting to engineer defections and insisted that Mamata Banerjee would overcome the challenge.
