File picture of Dinesh Trivedi
New Delhi: Trinamool Congress seems to be losing more of its leaders. In the run up to the West Bengal assembly polls, party's Rajya MP Dinesh Trivedi resigned from his RS membership on Friday.
"I am resigning from Rajya Sabha today. There is violence happening in my state. We cannot speak anything here." the TMC leader said while announcing his resignation on the floor of the Upper House.
"Grateful to my party that they've sent me here. I am feeling suffocated that we are not able to do anything over violence in the state. My soul tells me that if you cannot do anything sitting here, then you must resign. I will continue to work for people of West Bengal", Trivedi said.
"My voice of conscience is saying what Swami Vivekananda used to say -- arise, awake and stop not till the goal is reached," Trivedi said.
Rajya Sabha deputy chairman Harivansh Narayan Singh asked Trivedi to submit his resignation in writing, as there is a due process to be followed in resigning from the House.
Although there was an element of surprise for TMC, those close to him were not stunned. For in a tweet, he had praised Prime Minister for his speech in parliament which was quite at odds with the posture of TMC supremo and Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee who has been fiercely critical of the BJP and its leadership.
Reacting to Trivedi's resignation, TMC MP Sukhendu S Roy said his party will send "grassroot workers to Rajya Sabha soon".
"Trinamool means grassroots. This will give us an opportunity to send a grassroots worker of ours soon to the Rajya Sabha", Sukhendu told ANI.
Speaking with ANI, BJP General Secy Kailash Vijayvargiya said if Trivedi wants to join Bharatiya Janata Party, we will welcome him. "Not just Dinesh Trivedi, whoever wants to do honest work, cannot stay in Trinamool Congress, " Vijayvargiya added.
Prior to Trivedi, several leaders had resigned from TMC including Rajib Banerjee, Sovan Chaterjee, Suvendu Adhikari, and Laxmi Ratan Shukla.
(With inputs from agencies)