Actor Koel Mullick quits Rajya Sabha in another jolt to Mamata Banerjee
Popular actor Koel Mallick resigned from the Rajya Sabha on Thursday, dealing another blow to the parliamentary strength of Mamata Banerjee's Trinamool Congress (TMC). It
Popular actor Koel Mallick resigned from the Rajya Sabha on Thursday, dealing another blow to the parliamentary strength of Mamata Banerjee's Trinamool Congress (TMC). It was only four months back that Koel, a leading name in Bengali cinema for over two decades, was elected to the Rajya Sabha on a Trinamool ticket. However, in the season of defections and rebellions for the Trinamool, the fresh move is hardly surprising. Read Full Story The development comes a day after veteran Trinamool MLA Madan Mitra, Mamata's trusted lieutenant, joined the rebel Trinamool camp led by Ritabrata Banerjee. Koel's move comes on the heels of the resignations of Sukhendu Sekhar Roy, Susmita Dev and Prakash Chik Baraik as TMC Rajya Sabha MPs.
The trio later joined the BJP. Koel Mallick took oath as Rajya Sabha MP in May earlier this year (Source: Instagram) KOEL MULLICK'S SHOCK EXIT Koel, daughter of veteran actor Ranjit Mallick, was nominated to the Rajya Sabha ahead of the Bengal elections along with singer-politician Babul Supriyo, former Bengal DGP Rajeev Kumar, and senior advocate Menaka Guruswamy. The move to send Koel, whose original name is Rukmini, was widely viewed as an attempt by the Trinamool to leverage her popularity in Bengal. She took the oath as a Rajya Sabha MP in May, grabbing attention with her traditional white saree with a red border. She took the oath in Bangla.
Following her oath, she thanked Mamata for giving her an opportunity to serve the people of Bengal. "Beginning of a new journey," she had posted on social media. The journey, however, proved to be short. The actor, who has starred in over 40 movies, has not revealed the reason behind her shock resignation in such a short period. Crucially, it comes just four days ahead of the Parliament Monsoon session. DEEPENS CRISIS FOR MAMATA BANERJEE Koel's exit reduces the Trinamool's Rajya Sabha strength to just nine from 13. It comes as Mamata's TMC continues to suffer defections and exits after the Bengal election debacle in May. The crisis unfolded in three stages.
Just weeks after the polls, 60 of TMC's 80 MLAs broke away under Ritabrata's leadership, voicing discontent with the role of Mamata's nephew Abhishek Banerjee. The Assembly Speaker recognised Ritabrata as the Leader of the Opposition. Days later, 20 Lok Sabha MPs, some of whom have been with Mamata for decades, merged with a little-known outfit - Nationalist Citizens Party of India (NCPI) - and backed the BJP-led NDA. The exits of the three Rajya Sabha MPs followed a different route, as it marked the BJP's first induction of former TMC leaders after its emphatic Bengal election win. Ends
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