TMC Rajya Sabha MP to resign over RG Kar rape-murder

Trinamool Congress MP Jawahar Sircar on Sunday announced resigning from the Rajya Sabha and quitting politics citing growing disillusionment with the state's governance and corruption issues within the party.

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Sircar wrote to TMC supremo and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee that he would soon visit Delhi and handover his resignation letter to the Rajya Sabha Chairman.

In the letter, written in Bengali, Sircar expressed his gratitude for the opportunity given to him to raise the state's concerns but expressed his frustrations over the lack of action against corruption.

Sircar, a former IAS officer, who became TMC Rajya Sabha member in 2021, said his primary motivation for entering politics was to combat the autocratic and communal politics of BJP and asserted that he would continue to take a stand against these tendencies.

The MP expressed disappointment over the TMC government’s delay in addressing the issues stemming from the RG Kar Hospital rape and murder incident.

Sircar wrote that he had anticipated swift intervention similar to past actions by Mamata Banerjee, aimed at resolving disputes with the agitating junior doctors. However, the necessary steps were not taken when these were needed, he rued.

Criticising the punitive measures currently being implemented, the MP said these were “too little and too late”.

He said the situation could have been handled better if the government had promptly addressed the corrupt practices prevalent in the hospital and punished those responsible for administrative failings.

Sircar recalled that earlier also after publicly calling the party to address corruption issues he was met with resistance from senior party leaders.

Though disheartened, he chose to remain in office, hoping that the party would harden its stance against corruption. However, the party continued to remain indifferent to the issue, he said in his letter.

Sukhendu Shekhar Roy, another sitting Rajya Sabha member from TMC, had also supported the citizens' protests taking place in West Bengal demanding justice for the R G Kar victim.