Trinamool Congress lawmaker Dinesh Trivedi quit his Rajya Sabha seat in a dramatic announcement on the floor of the House, saying that he was feeling a ‘little suffocated’ over the violence in his state West Bengal. This is yet another blow for Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee who is facing a steady stream of exits from the party.

“I am grateful to my party that it has sent me here, but now I feel a little suffocated. We are unable to do anything and there is atrocity (going on). My voice of conscience is saying what Swami Vivekananda used to say — arise, awake and stop not till the goal is reached,” Trivedi said, while announcing his resignation from the House.

Also Read| Suvendu Adhikari to Rajib Banerjee, list of leaders who quit Trinamool recently

The 70-year-old leader said that he would continue to work for West Bengal. “My soul tells me that if you can’t do anything sitting here, then you must resign,” Trivedi said.

Also Read: Decision on CM candidate to be taken after BJP secures majority in West Bengal: Kailash Vijayvargiya

The resignation comes a day after Trivedi tweeted his appreciation for Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s pitch for privatisation. “I am personally in agreement with this. The way forward is to let our young talented mind innovate, create and distribute wealth. Pay Govt levies, create jobs. For that, our Govt officers (babus) too, need to encourage the youth.” Meanwhile, Sukhendu S Roy, MP from Trinamool Congress said that “Trinamool” means grassroots and Trivedi’s resignation would be an opportunity for the party to send grassroots workers to the Rajya Sabha, ANI reported.

The past month has seen a steady exodus of leaders from the ruling Trinamool Congress to the Bharatiya Janata Party, which is seeking to make inroads in the state ahead of the Assembly elections scheduled in April. Enthused by an impressive show in the 2019 Lok Sabha election, when BJP took its tally from 2 to 18, the saffron party is pulling out all stops to try and unseat the two-term Trinamool government.