TMC's post-poll unease deepens as veteran MP Sukhendu flags 'anarchy'

The leader has triggered intense political chatter, adding to indications of unease within the TMC after its electoral setback.

Kolkata: Signs of churn in the TMC following its crushing defeat in the recent West Bengal assembly elections became more visible on Tuesday, with senior Rajya Sabha MP Sukhendu Sekhar Roy emerging as the latest leader to strike a discordant note and raise uncomfortable questions over the party's trajectory.

Days after party MP Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar publicly aired her discontent, Roy, among the party's most seasoned parliamentarians, posted cryptic historical references on X, triggering intense political chatter and adding to indications of unease within the TMC after its electoral setback.

Roy wrote on X, "In 44 BC, Roman Emperor Julius Ceaser was stabbed to death in the Senate on the Ides of March. As per Roman calendar, Ides generally meant for 15th of March, May, July and October. But before Ides of May, people of West Bengal put an end to unbearable anarchical situation."

The post, with its invocation of the fall of empires and the "end to unbearable anarchical situation", immediately sparked speculation in political circles and within the TMC, especially as it came amid post-poll introspection and visible fault lines in the party.

A week earlier, on May 19, Roy had written: "Democracy is based upon will of the people. Republics fall when profligates thrive and wise are banished from the council. Free thought and its practice are essential in democratic system. None can deny, else the system is doomed."

While Roy has not publicly elaborated on either post, people close to him said the veteran politician has privately voiced serious concerns over the reasons behind the TMC's dramatic slide from its dominant position just two years ago.

According to those in his close circle, Roy has repeatedly questioned how a party that won 29 Lok Sabha seats in West Bengal in 2024 and retained a commanding position could suffer such a steep reversal in a relatively short period.

His assessment, sources said, goes beyond electoral arithmetic.

Roy is understood to have pointed to the party's alleged inability to read public sentiment during the RG Kar movement, which saw massive street protests following the rape and murder of a woman doctor at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital.

According to people familiar with his views, Roy believes the unprecedented turnout on the streets at the time had carried political signals that the party failed to adequately grasp.

He is also learnt to have expressed concern over what he described in private conversations as "institutionalisation of corruption" within the party structure.

The remarks assume significance as Roy is no fringe voice within the party.

A veteran politician with roots in the Congress tradition and once considered close to former president Pranab Mukherjee, Roy joined the TMC later and went on to become one of its prominent parliamentary faces.

Known for his grasp over constitutional matters, parliamentary procedures and federal issues, Roy is among the most experienced leaders currently in the TMC's Rajya Sabha ranks and has witnessed multiple shifts in West Bengal's political landscape over six decades.

This is not the first time Roy has found himself at odds with the party line.

During the RG Kar protests in August 2024, he had posted a series of historical references that were seen as indirect criticism of the then TMC government.

At the time, he had written: "July, 1789..." before invoking the fall of the Bastille and the French Revolution. He had even staged a sit-in near Netaji's statue at Jodhpur Park and raised questions on the investigation into the case. The episode had generated considerable embarrassment for the party before Roy later deleted one of his posts, saying it carried inaccurate information.

Roy's latest messaging comes close on the heels of Ghosh Dastidar expressing unhappiness after being removed as parliamentary party chief whip and replaced by MP Kalyan Banerjee.

An apparently aggrieved Kakoli had posted on social media: "Known since 1976, journey started in 1984. Rewarded today for four decades of loyalty."

In another development that fuelled political speculation, she resigned as TMC's organisational district president in Barasat and on Wednesday attended a government administrative meeting chaired by Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari.