The ruling Trinamool Congress on Tuesday said that the resignation of Laxmi Ratan Shukla as West Bengal minister of state for youth services and sports is unfortunate but it will not affect the party, while the BJP said that the former cricketer is welcome to join the saffron camp.
Shukla's resignation came months before the assembly election in the state and almost a fortnight after transport minister Suvendu Adhikari left the party and joined the BJP.
The Congress claimed that TMC is collapsing and party supremo and state Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has no remedy for it, while the CPI(M) asked her to explain why the state's ministers one after another are losing faith in her.
"Mamata Banerjee had given Shukla due respect and even made him a minister. He was inducted as part of our policy to give prominence to people from different walks of life. It is unfortunate if he quit his post, but it won't affect the party," TMC spokesperson Kunal Ghosh said.
Describing Shukla as a good party member, senior TMC MP Sougata Ray expressed hope that he will reconsider his decision.
BJP spokesperson Samik Bhattacharya said that if Shukla wants to join his party, he is welcome.
"The Trinamool Congres has no political ideology, no direction. It was established on anti-CPI(M) plank which is no more relevant now. People at the grassroot level are aware that the TMC's days are numbered. Just wait for some more time," he told reporters.
Bhattacharya did not comment on whether the party had been in touch with Shukla.
BJP leader and Union minister Babul Supriyo urged Shukla to leave the TMC and join the BJP.
State Congress president Adhir Ranjan Choudhury claimed the TMC is collapsing and Banerjee does not know how to prevent it.
"We will not ask Shukla to join the party. But our door is open for those who want to be part of the Congress family, those who can't be with the BJP for ideological reasons," said Choudhury who is also the leader of the Congress in Lok Sabha.
Senior CPI(M) leader Sujan Chakraborty said that Shukla was a sportsman who was made an MLA by the TMC.
"It is not for us to comment on why he resigned as minister. He and his party supremo can explain it better. But the CM should explain why his ministers one after another are losing faith in her," Chakraborty said.
Shukla, a former captain of Bengal Ranji Trophy team, sent his resignation letter to the chief minister and a copy of it to Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar.
Assembly elections in West Bengal are due in April-May this year.
(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Dear Reader,
Business Standard has always strived hard to provide up-to-date information and commentary on developments that are of interest to you and have wider political and economic implications for the country and the world. Your encouragement and constant feedback on how to improve our offering have only made our resolve and commitment to these ideals stronger. Even during these difficult times arising out of Covid-19, we continue to remain committed to keeping you informed and updated with credible news, authoritative views and incisive commentary on topical issues of relevance.
We, however, have a request.
As we battle the economic impact of the pandemic, we need your support even more, so that we can continue to offer you more quality content. Our subscription model has seen an encouraging response from many of you, who have subscribed to our online content. More subscription to our online content can only help us achieve the goals of offering you even better and more relevant content. We believe in free, fair and credible journalism. Your support through more subscriptions can help us practise the journalism to which we are committed.
Support quality journalism and subscribe to Business Standard.
Digital Editor
RECOMMENDED FOR YOU