Resignation was a well thought out decision: Arpita Ghosh

Kolkata, Sep 16 (IANS) A day after Trinamool Congress Rajya Sabha member Arpita Ghosh resigned from the Upper House, the well-known theatre personality said that her resignation was a carefully thought decision, and that she didn't step down under pressure from any person or the party.

"There is very little space to work in the Rajya Sabha, and because of the pandemic, everything is stopped. I wanted to work for the party and the people, so I resigned. There was no pressure from anybody. I want to concentrate more on the organisational works of the party," Ghosh said here on Thursday.

Ghosh, who had sent her resignation letter to Trinamool Congress national General Secretary Abhishek Banerjee on Tuesday that was accepted on the same day, said, "It was not so easy as you see it. We were having discussions for the last two to three months. When it was finally settled, then only I had sent my resignation letter to the national general secretary of the party. What you see is just a formality. The process of resignation started much earlier."

Ghosh, who still had five years left to complete her tenure as a Rajya Sabha member, said, "I was not feeling well to carry on in the Rajya Sabha. I have had my stint in the Lok Sabha and I can say that there is a huge difference between the two Houses of the Parliament. Moreover, my theatre - which is passion - was getting neglected for this. Now I want to concentrate on theatre."

When asked that there were several complaints against her that she was not working fully for the party, Ghosh said, "Those who are complaining against me should prove the allegations. It is not my responsibility to prove that I am a trusted soldier. The party leadership knows my loyalty and dedication for the party. Wait for some time, everything will become clear."

When asked to elaborate, the noted theatre personality said, "If the party doesn't have faith in me, it will not give any responsibility... but I don't think that is going to happen. I want to work for the party and that I have communicated to the top leadership and they will surely make arrangements to accommodate me so that I can give more time for the organisational works."

When asked if the party had asked her to resign, Ghosh said, "I am again saying this. There was no pressure from anybody. The party has never asked me to resign. It was my decision and I was not influenced by anybody. It was a well thought out decision."

The resignation of Ghosh, however, has triggered political controversy.

State BJP President Dilip Ghosh said, "They are bringing people from other states and sending them to the Rajya Sabha and for that people like Ghsosh had to resign. This is unfortunate."

Responding to the BJP, state Transport Minister Firhad Hakim said, "This is our party's internal matter and people like (Dilip) Ghosh should not have interfered into it. We don't speak on BJP's internal matters. So far, I know that she has resigned on her own and the party has approved it. The party might have some other plans for her. Let the party decide."