'Don't support the way Sandeshkhali issue was handled': Tapas Roy quits TMC, resigns as MLA (WATCH)

Veteran Trinamool Congress leader Tapas Roy submitted his resignation from the party on Monday. He also resigned from the MLA post earlier in the day. Roy’s resignation came as a surprise to many within the party and the state’s political circles.

Ahead of the Lok Sabha polls, senior Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader Tapas Roy on March 4 resigned from the party and membership of the West Bengal Assembly, expressing displeasure over the functioning of the party. Tapas Roy, a TMC sitting MLA from Baranagar, was well-liked throughout the area. He was regarded as the TMC's fiercest spokesman and held the position of deputy chief whip in the West Bengal Assembly.

Roy resigned as an MLA earlier in the day, voicing his dissatisfaction with the way the party was run. "I have given the assembly speaker my resignation as an MLA. I'm a free bird now," he declared. He also attacked the high brass of the TMC for their lack of assistance during the Enforcement Directorate raid on his house and their handling of the Sandeshkhali problem.

Speaking to the media, he said, "I resigned because I felt that I am not respected in this party, many times such situations arose where I felt this. The ED team reached my house on January 12th, it has been many days since the incident took place but no sympathy or cooperation has been received from the party..."

He further said, "TMC is not for me... Wherever I see, there is corruption in this party, it is not right that someone else commits a crime and the rest get punished. I have been facing many kinds of conflicts and I did not go to the Assembly for a long time. I was not even attending party programs and today I have resigned. I have not decided anything yet about what I will do next..."

Notably, Roy’s resignation has sparked discussions about the now former TMC leader’s future political plans. The impact of Tapas Roy’s next move on the political landscape remains to be seen.