'TMC Does Not Have a Mandate': Prakash Chik Baraik Breaks Silence After Rajya Sabha Exit, Fuels BJP Buzz

New Delhi: Hours after resigning from the Rajya Sabha, Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader Prakash Chik Baraik broke his silence, saying his decision was guided by the sentiments of the people of West Bengal while refusing to rule out a possible switch to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

"Accepting the opinion given by the people of West Bengal, I have also submitted my resignation today," Baraik said in his first public reaction after stepping down from the Upper House.

When asked whether he was set to join the BJP, the former TMC MP remained guarded but left the door open to speculation. "Time will tell," he said.

TMC MP Prakash Chik Baraik, representing West Bengal in the Rajya Sabha, has resigned from the Upper House. This is the third such resignation within a week.

In his resignation letter addressed to the Chairman of the Rajya Sabha, CP Radhakrishnan, Baraik said he was stepping down from the membership of the House with immediate effect.

"I do hereby resign from the membership of Rajya Sabha, which may please be accepted with immediate effect," the letter read.

He also expressed gratitude to the Chair and the Secretariat for their support during his tenure. "I convey my sincere gratitude to your Excellency, Hon'ble Deputy Chairman and all functionaries of Rajya Sabha Secretariat extending all help and cooperation during my tenure as a Member of the Rajya Sabha," the letter added.

The development comes amid intensifying internal rift within the Trinamool Congress (TMC), a series of resignations and rebel assertions have fuelled uncertainty over the party's internal cohesion and possible merger.

Rebel TMC leader Ritabrata Banerjee on Wednesday categorically rejected speculation of any merger between the dissident faction and the Congress, asserting that the ongoing developments remain strictly internal to the organisation.

"The count is currently 64 (MLAs). These people will come and submit a letter to the Speaker," Banerjee told ANI, claiming that support for his faction has increased from 58 to 64 MLAs. He added that the group would soon formally approach the West Bengal Assembly Speaker to consolidate its position.

Dismissing merger speculation, he said, "Regarding a merger, as for our legislative party, we are certainly not joining the Congress. The MPs in Parliament, more than two-thirds of them, are not merging with the Congress either." Banerjee further stressed that no section of the party--including MPs, municipal representatives, Zilla Parishad members, or Panchayat members--is moving towards any merger.

"Who is merging with whom? There is no question of a merger at all," he asserted.

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