TMC's Jawhar Sircar resigns as Rajya Sabha MP over Kolkata horror, BJP reiterates Mamata's resignation
Trinamool Congress (TMC) Rajya Sabha MP Jawhar Sircar resigned from both Parliament and politics in protest against the West Bengal government's response to the rape and murder of a trainee doctor at Kolkata's RG Kar Hospital and the events that followed.
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FollowIn a major development, Trinamool Congress (TMC) Rajya Sabha MP Jawhar Sircar on Sunday resigned from both Parliament and politics in protest against the West Bengal government's response to the rape and murder of a trainee doctor at Kolkata's RG Kar Hospital and the events that followed.
In a letter to Bengal Chief Minister and TMC chief Mamata Banerjee, Sircar indicted the "unchecked overbearing attitude of the favoured few and the corrupt" in his own party.
He expressed disappointment at not having been able to speak with Banerjee privately for several months. He also lamented the lack of action against corrupt officials and the party's failure to address the issue.
"I have suffered patiently for a month since the terrible incident at RG Kar Hospital and was hoping for your direct intervention with the agitating junior doctors, in the old style of Mamata Banerjee. It has not happened and whatever punitive steps that govt is taking now are too little and quite late. I think normalcy may have been restored in this state much earlier if the caucus of the corrupt doctors was smashed & those guilty of taking improper administrative actions punished immediately after the scandalous incident happened," Sircar wrote.
Jawhar Sircar, who joined the Trinamool Congress (TMC) in 2021, expressed his shock at the open evidence of corruption involving former education minister Partha Chatterjee, which was widely reported on television and in print media. Sircar stated that he had made a public statement urging the party and government to address the issue of corruption, but he was met with heckling from senior party leaders.
"I became increasingly disillusioned as the state government seemed quite unconcerned about corruption and the increasing strong-arm tactics of a section of leaders," he wrote.
“I just cannot accept some things, like corrupt officers (or doctors) getting prime and top postings,” Sircar said.
The MP’s resignation follows widespread protests in Bengal, sparked by the brutal rape and murder of a postgraduate trainee doctor at Kolkata’s RG Kar Medical College Hospital. Sircar said the public outrage reflects growing discontent with the TMC government, which he described as having lost the trust of the people.
“In all my years, I have not seen such angst and total no-confidence against the government, even when it says something correct or factual,” he said.
Sircar also expressed his gratitude for the opportunity to represent the state's concerns but highlighted his frustrations over the lack of action against corruption. He described his three-year tenure as an MP as a period where he actively challenged the policies of the Modi government, including its "authoritarian, divisive, discriminatory and anti-federal" measures.
"I express my gratitude again for the opportunity you gave me to raise Bengal's issues in Parliament for three years, but I do not wish to continue as MP at all. My commitment to fight corruption, communalism, and authoritarianism in the Centre and the States is simply non-negotiable," he added.
BJP calls for Mamata's resignation
Reacting to Jawhar Sircar's resignation as TMC MP, BJP leader Shehzad Poonawalla said, "If someone should give the resignation it should be West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee...TMC government and Mamata Banerjee institutionalised corruption and in his letter, he wrote that whenever he raised the issue of corruption he was silenced...Mamata Banerjee tried to destroy the evidence and save the accused..."
The Calcutta high court has directed the CBI to investigate both the murder and the financial irregularities at the institution.
