News Brief
"Total No-Confidence Against The Government": Jawhar Sircar Resigns As TMC Rajya Sabha MP Over Kolkata Doctor Rape-Murder
Jawhar Sircar
TMC Rajya Sabha member Jawhar Sircar stepped down from his parliamentary post on Sunday (8 September) in protest of the Mamata Banerjee government's handling of the rape and murder of a trainee doctor and the subsequent events that unfolded in its wake.
In a letter to Chief Minister and TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee, Sircar criticised the "unchecked overbearing attitude of the favoured few and the corrupt" in his own party.
Sircar expressed disappointment over not being able to privately speak with Banerjee for months.
He also lamented the lack of action against corrupt officials and the party's failure to address the issue.
"I became increasingly disillusioned as the state government seemed quite unconcerned about corruption and the increasing strong-arm tactics of a section of leaders," he wrote.
“I just cannot accept some things, like corrupt officers (or doctors) getting prime and top postings,” Sircar said, India Today reported.
His resignation comes on the heels of massive protests across Bengal, triggered by the horrific rape and murder of a postgraduate medical student at R G Kar Medical College.
“In all my years, I have not seen such angst and total no-confidence against the government, even when it says something correct or factual,” he said.
Sircar expressed disappointment with the government's response to the incident, stating, "I have suffered patiently for a month since the terrible incident at RG Kar Hospital, and was hoping for your direct intervention with the agitating junior doctors, in the old style of Mamata Banerjee. It has not happened and whatever punitive steps that government is taking now are too little and quite late."
In his final advice, Sircar advised the party to take a non-confrontational approach, stressing that the protests are primarily driven by a desire for justice and punishment rather than political motives.
He warned that if the TMC fails to change its course, "communal forces will capture this state."
"I express my gratitude again for the opportunity you gave me to raise Bengal's issues in Parliament for three years, but I do not wish to continue as MP at all. My commitment to fight corruption, communalism, and authoritarianism in the Centre and the States is simply non-negotiable," he added.
