Former West Bengal minister and ex-MLA Manish Gupta on Thursday, 16 July announced his resignation from the All India Trinamool Congress (TMC), saying he has been sidelined by the Mamata Banerjee-led party for the last five years and no longer sees a role for himself in it. The 84-year-old veteran also declared a complete exit from active politics, making his departure a double blow for the ruling party in West Bengal.

What Gupta Said

Gupta told reporters that he has not yet submitted a formal resignation letter but made his intentions unambiguous. “I have been kept on the sidelines for the last five years and have not been utilised,” he said, adding that age was a significant factor in his decision. He clarified that he is not aligned with any political camp and is stepping away from public life altogether.

A Career Defined by Controversy and Comeback

Gupta’s political biography is inseparable from one of West Bengal’s most contested historical episodes. He served as the state’s Home Secretary during the Mahakaran Abhijan on 21 July 1993, when police firing killed 13 Youth Congress workers during a demonstration. That incident has shadowed him for decades, with a section of the opposition arguing that those in administrative charge at the time warranted investigation.

Notably, it is the same 21 July date that the Trinamool Congress has since converted into its annual Martyrs’ Day rally, commemorating the same workers killed in 1993 — a political irony that was never fully resolved.

How Mamata Banerjee Brought Him In

During the political realignment of 2011, Mamata Banerjee set aside the historical controversy and inducted Gupta into active Trinamool politics. He was fielded from the Jadavpur constituency — a long-standing Left Front stronghold — in the 2011 West Bengal Assembly election. Gupta went on to defeat the then-incumbent Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee, who had represented Jadavpur for 24 consecutive years. He subsequently served as a member of the state cabinet.

Political Significance of the Exit

Gupta’s departure is being read as more than a personal retirement. Political circles in Kolkata note that his public airing of grievances — specifically the charge of being “sidelined” — adds to a pattern of senior Trinamool figures expressing dissatisfaction in recent months. New speculation has already emerged about whether his exit signals broader internal tensions within the party ahead of future electoral cycles. The TMC has not issued an official response to his announcement.

With Gupta’s exit, the Trinamool Congress loses a figure whose 2011 Jadavpur victory remains one of the most symbolically significant upsets of that election. Whether his departure triggers further realignments will be closely watched.