TMC Dissent Deepens: Kakoli Dastidar Quits All Party Posts After Meeting Suvendu Adhikari

Kolkata: Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar on Wednesday resigned from her post as the president of All India Trinamool Mahila Congress wing. Notably, Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar's resignation comes a day after she met West Bengal Chief Minister and BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari, sparking a political buzz in the state.

This development comes at a time when TMC is facing massive crisis following its landslide defeat in the state Assembly elections, where it won just 80 out of 294 seats and lost power after ruling over West Bengal for 15 years. Recently, over 100 TMC councillors have resigned from municipalities across West Bengal, most notably in the Bhatpara Municipality, where 30 out of 35 councillors stepped down.

Kakoli Dastidar's Resignation Letter

‘Not Worth Staying’

In her resignation letter, Kakoli Dastidar stated that it is not worth staying in a position where the indecent behavior of an “uneducated and rude” party MP towards a woman MP cannot be stopped.

This was a veiled reference to TMC MP Kalyan Banerjee, who was recently reinstated as the party's chief whip in the Lok Sabha. His reinstation came after Kakoli Dastidar was removed from the post following TMC's landslide defeat in the state Assembly elections.

Following her removal, Kakoli Dastidar wrote a cryptic post on social media saying, “I have known Mamata Banerjee since 1976 and have been working together since 1984. Today, I got the prize for my four-decade-long loyalty.”

After this she also resigned from the post of party's Barasat organisational district president, stating she was taking moral responsibility for TMC's defeat in Barasat. She also seemed to blame the party for hiring political consulancy firm I-PAC. Thereafter, Kalyan Banerjee allegedly took a dig at her saying, “May your journey ahead be smooth and comfortable. Wishing you and your family a wonderful future ahead. Perhaps now, at long last, all the stains and controversies surrounding you will finally be washed away and neatly erased. Best wishes — may this new chapter succeed where all the previous explanations failed.”

'My Conscience Troubled'

Apart from the veiled refered to Kalyan Banerjee, Dastidar also said in her resignation letter, that over the last decade, several serious allegations and incidents concerning West Bengal and the party have deeply troubled her conscience.

“Corruption in ration distribution, corruption in teacher recruitment, and various financial and administrative irregularities have created deep anger and distrust among ordinary people. In addition, the unnatural death of a female doctor at RG Kar Medical College and the allegations of evidence tampering surrounding the incident have shaken and distressed society. I have personally felt the moral impact of these incidents very deeply,” she added.

‘Decision Not Driven By Resentment’

Kakoli Dastidar has stressed that decision of her resignation is not driven by any personal grievance or resentment. “I am taking this decision out of my moral responsibility toward the party, democracy, and public life,” she claimed, adding, that she is not leaving TMC and will keep on working as an “ordinary worker” of the party.

“I will continue my commitment to stand beside people and work in the interest of Bengal,” Kakoli Dastidar stated in her resignation letter.