Kolkata: With only a few months left for the Assembly elections, the Trinamool Congress (TMC) received another jolt Friday with Forest Minister Rajib Banerjee resigning from his position. He is the third minister to quit the cabinet in the last one month after Suvendu Adhikari and cricketer-turned-politician Lakshmi Ratan Shukla. The resignation of Rajib Banerjee just a day before Narendra Modi is set to visit West Bengal has set up speculation that he too will join the BJP.
Rajib Banerjee had for the last few weeks had been criticising the functioning of the TMC. He had time and again stated that he ‘was not getting the freedom’ to serve the people of West Bengal. Sources said that Rajib has already sent his resignation to the West Bengal Assembly speaker, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and Governor Jagdeep Dhankar. He is expected to meet Dhankar later during the day. Usually it is the chief minister who informs the governor if any minister resigns. In this case however, Rajib himself has informed the governor on his own.
TMC MP and spokesperson Saugata Roy said that the party knew that Rajib would resign. “We were expecting this,” Roy said. “He was not attending meeting and there were quite a few allegations against him. So his resignation was not unexpected,” Roy added.
With more and more heavyweights deserting the party, times appear indeed tough for the TMC. Even though Mamata Banerjee has openly stated that desertion won’t affect her party’s chances in the upcoming elections, one thing is certain. It will not be a bed of roses for her party when the elections begin. Rather there will be a lot of thorns that can prevent her party from returning power for the third successive time.
