Actor and Trinamool Congress MP Mimi Chakraborty on Thursday resigned from her Lok Sabha seat, citing differences with the party’s local leadership in her constituency.
Chakraborty, who won the Jadavpur seat in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, said she had submitted her resignation letter to Trinamool Congress supremo and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee two days ago.
“I have resigned from my MP post two days ago. I have sent my resignation letter to Didi (Mamata Banerjee). But she has not accepted it yet. I have told her about my grievances. Let’s see what she decides. I have told my party supremo about the obstacles I faced,” Chakraborty told reporters after meeting Banerjee at the state secretariat.
Chakraborty, who is also a popular Bengali film actress, said she was not cut out for politics.
“I don’t think politics is for me. I have never spoken ill of any other party, even though I am not from their party. Then why should I have to listen to such bad things? When I am in Delhi, people say that MPs should stay in Delhi. And when I am in Kolkata, they say I don’t go to Delhi. Then what is the point of being an MP?” she said.
Chakraborty’s resignation comes at a time when the Trinamool Congress is facing a series of defections to the BJP. In the past few months, several TMC MLAs and MPs have switched over to the saffron party.
The TMC has, however, downplayed Chakraborty’s resignation, saying she was a “temporary” member of the party.
“Mimi Chakraborty was a temporary member of our party. She came to the party when she needed it. Now she is leaving when she doesn’t need it anymore. We don’t need such people in our party,” TMC spokesperson Kunal Ghosh said.
Chakraborty’s resignation is a major setback for the Trinamool Congress, which is already facing an uphill battle in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.
