TMC leader Dinesh Trivedi's resignation accepted; speculation rife about BJP switch

On Monday, Rajya Sabha Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu accepted the resignation of TMC MP Dinesh Trivedi from the Upper House three days after he submitted it. In a suprising development on February 12, Trivedi announced that he was stepping down while speaking on the Budget in the Rajya Sabha. Citing that he was suffocated in the Mamata Banerjee-led party, the former Railways Minister opined that he could not remain silent while West Bengal is witnessing political violence. 

A day earlier, TMC demanded an investigation into how Trivedi was allowed to speak during the Budget discussion despite the party not recommending his name. In the current scenario, speculation is rife that Trivedi might join BJP. In an exclusive interview with Republic Media Network's Editor-in-Chief Arnab Goswami, he opined that joining the JP Nadda-led party will be a privilege. 

Speaking on this occasion, Dinesh Trivedi said, "Today my conscience triggered and I did what I wanted to do. Let today sink in and tomorrow come. If I join BJP, it would not be surprising as it is a national party. Today, the Prime Minister has the best image in the world."

Read: TMC Says 'not Affected' By RS MP Dinesh Trivedi's Exit; Says 'He Spoke To Pawar, Not Us'

'Party has been outsourced' 

During his interaction with Arnab Goswami on February 12, Trivedi also expressed surprise at how a party which once struggled for finances was now able to pay the political strategist in crores. Kishor's Indian Political Action Committee is working with the Mamata Banerjee-led TMC to ensure the re-election of the party in the Assembly election due in April-May this year. Claiming that the party has been "outsourced", he also took a dig at Kishor who had predicted that BJP will struggle to win more than 99 seats in the 294-member West Bengal Assembly. Citing this assertion, the former Railways Minister stressed that his exit at this juncture could not be termed as opportunism. 

Dinesh Trivedi remarked, "It's been a 12 year struggle before we got power. And during the time of this struggle, we formed this party. I was very much the founder and we struggled for those 12 years. I remember we used to struggle for 5000-7000 rupees. And now you have hundreds of crores to give to a consultant. And you say that my party is poor. Those both things don't gel. The party which you formed with some ideology is now being outsourced. It is virtually being hijacked and the leadership and you yourself and the party have gone somewhere else. So, the soul of the party is not there." 

Read: TMC Calls Dinesh Trivedi Ungrateful; Says 'would Win Elections Because Of Mamata's Image'