Sukhendu Sekhar Ray distances himself from the rebel group TMC

Former Chief Whip of Trinamool Congress (TMC) in Rajya Sabha, Sukhendu Sekhar Ray. File | Photo credit: The Hindu

Former Trinamool Congress (TMC) Rajya Sabha chief whip Sukhendu Sekhar Ray, who resigned from the upper house on Monday (June 8, 2026), praised his colleagues in the Lok Sabha and the West Bengal Assembly on Tuesday (June 9, 2026) for their rebellion against Chiefw Abehata Banje Banje Banje’s leadership. But Banerjee, the party’s national general secretary, also distanced himself from the rebel group.

Speaking to The Hindu, Mr. Ray clarified that when he visited Union Minister Bhupender Yadav’s residence, he did not know that his former party colleagues would also be there. He was currently pondering whether it was time to “hang up his boots” after a 59-year political career.

Mr. Ray, who joined the TMC in 2001 after quitting the Congress, was first elected to the Rajya Sabha in 2011 and was serving his third term. Mr. Ray was the first TMC MP to resign from the upper house.

“Bhupender Yadav is a close friend of mine. We served together in various parliamentary committees. When he heard that I was resigning, he invited me for a cup of tea,” said Mr. Ray.

According to Mr. Ray, the Union Minister informed him after tea that some of his former colleagues were in another room. “I joined them and sat there for 30-40 minutes to have a casual chat. The meeting didn’t start till then. It started only after Honorable Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari arrived. I stayed for another 10 minutes or so and greeted Mr. Adhikari,” said Mr. Ray.

He further clarified that he did not attend the meeting of rebel TMC Lok Sabha MPs held at actor-turned-politician Shatabdi Roy’s residence in Delhi on Monday (June 8, 2026) evening. At the same time, however, he supported the rebellion and called it “the right thing to do.”

Asked about his recent complimentary remarks about the less than a month-old Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government in the state, Mr. Ray said, “In 49 years — 34 years of the Left Front and 15 years of the TMC — the state has turned into a desert. The new government gives everyone hope.”

In his resignation letter, Mr. Ray also said that the newly elected “people’s government” had taken up “initiatives for the overall development and reconstruction” of West Bengal.

While the “rot” set in during the TMC’s second term, Mr Ray said he had seriously considered resigning since the RG Kar incident involving the rape and murder of a doctor when he joined the protests. He was then summoned by the state CID.

“That’s when I decided to resign because I saw how the state machinery was used against me. I was scared,” he said. He added that despite being a member of the party, he faced harassment and humiliation and feared that the situation could be worse if he was outside the party. “My party leaders could have even hired goons to kill me. This has happened in several parts of the state,” alleged Mr. Ray.

Calling it the “end of the road” for the TMC, Mr. Ray refused to confirm or deny whether he would join the BJP. “Whether I join another party or not will come later. After 59 years in politics, it is a moot question for me whether I should continue in politics at all,” Mr. Ray told The Hindu.

Published – 10 Jun 2026 21:41 IST