'Exit' fever hits TMC, RS MP Prakash Chik Baraik resigns; third resignation from RS in a week

New Delhi [India], June 11 : Trinamool Congress (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.
Meanwhile, senior Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury distanced himself from speculation regarding any possible Congress-TMC merger, saying he was not aware of such discussions."I have no information about any merger or such things involving Bengal," Chowdhury told ANI, adding that he remains "in the dark" on the matter and will comment only if a formal decision is communicated.
In a significant development, Vice President and Rajya Sabha Chairman CP Radhakrishnan accepted the resignation of MP Sushmita Dev, effective June 10. Dev had earlier quit the TMC, marking another high-profile exit amid ongoing internal unrest.
Following her resignation, Sushmita Dev said she intends to focus on working in Assam, sparking speculation of a possible political shift towards the BJP after she met Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma in New Delhi. However, she maintained that her decision was based on personal and political reasons and denied allegations of opportunism.