Former railway minister and Rajya Sabha MP of Trinamool Congress, Dinesh Trivedi, resigned from his membership of the Upper House of Parliament on Friday.
Making this announcement in the Rajya Sabha he said that he was pained at the ongoing spate of violence going on in West Bengal. He said that since he is unable to do anything from here in Delhi it would be morally wrong to remain silent. Trivedi said that abiding by his conscience he wants to go to West Bengal and do something to stop this bloodletting.
In his speech he even showered praise over the way the challenge of corona virus was handled in the country.
Later while talking to the reporters he regretted that there is nobody listening to him or anyone in the party which is now being run by corporate professionals.
Trivedi told the media-persons that for him it was better to remain in Rajya Sabha for more than five and a half years and enjoy the facility of bungalow in New Delhi. But as one engaged in social service it does not behove him to remain as a spectator.
However, the TMC MP Saugata Roy said that Trivedi’s resignation would have no impact whatsoever on the party’s electoral prospect. He said that Trivedi had lost the 2019 Lok Sabha election and was sent to the Rajya Sabha by the party and thus has no grassroots support base.
According to Roy, Trivedi had recently met the NCP leader, Sharad Pawar.
Trivedi had served as the railway minister in the Manmohan Singh government after Mamata Banerjee had resigned from that post and returned to West Bengal to become the chief minister in May 2011.
However, on March 18, 2012 he quit the post a few days after presenting the Railway Budget. He had to bow out of the office after his own party boss Mamata Banerjee strongly criticised him for the hike in rail fare. But Trivedi remained loyal to Mamata.
He was succeeded by Mukul Roy as the railway minister. Like Trivedi, Mukul too was then in TMC. He is now in the BJP while Trivedi is also likely to take the same line.
Independent analysts are of the view that Trivedi, though from West Bengal, originally comes from Gujarat and has a good relationship with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and home minister Amit Shah. Though he has not said anything over the crossing over to the BJP but such possibility cannot be ruled out.
