Kolkata, June 8
Leader of the opposition Ritabrata Banerjee strongly backed veteran Trinamool Congress leader Sukhendu Sekhar Roy after resigned from both the party and his Rajya Sabha membership, triggering fresh political debate over the ruling party's internal functioning and electoral setbacks.
Speaking to the media immediately after Roy’s resignation Banerjee said, “He (Sukhendu Sekhar Roy) had not exaggerated any of his allegations. His statements were 100 percent correct.”
"There is no place for farce in politics. Sukhenduda has not said a single word beyond the truth," Banerjee said, adding that unity among like-minded people remains important.
Banerjee was referring to Roy’s statement after his resignation where he launched a sharp attack on the party leadership, alleging that no serious introspection had been carried out following the party's poor performance in the recent assembly elections.
Roy's resignation came at a time when several Trinamool MPs were attending a high-profile meeting at the residence of union Environment Minister and BJP's West Bengal observer Bhupender Yadav in New Delhi.
Asked whether Roy's exit signalled widening cracks within the Trinamool Congress, Banerjee declined to speculate.
"No one knows what will happen next. I live day by day and moment by moment, so I cannot comment on that," he said.
Banerjee also spoke about his own experience during his tenure in the Rajya Sabha, claiming he had faced marginalisation within the party.
Without naming Trinamool MPs Derek O'Brien and Saket Gokhale directly, he alleged that he had spent the last 15 months seated on the back benches of Parliament.
"A senior parliamentarian like Sukhendu Sekhar Roy also had to endure a lot. I have not spoken to him, but I agree with his views," he said.
In his resignation remarks, Roy argued that the Trinamool Congress had lost the trust of ordinary people and become increasingly disconnected from grassroots workers and voters.
He claimed that while the party had once emerged as a vehicle for political change in West Bengal, corruption had gradually become institutionalised over time.
Roy also reiterated his stand on the RG Kar hospital incident, recalling that he had publicly protested and even staged a sit-in demonstration independent of the party's official position.
According to him, people across the world had demanded justice over the incident and strongly condemned the brutality involved.
Further attacking the party's record, Roy alleged that the seeds of corruption had been sown soon after the Trinamool Congress came to power in 2011.
He referred to a controversial meeting involving a chit fund operator at Delo Hills and also mentioned the sale of paintings by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee at high prices, saying such developments had raised questions about the party's conduct.
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