Noted actor Mithun Chakraborty on Monday resigned from the Rajya Sabha, citing health reasons. He was a member of the Upper House of Parliament on a ticket from the Trinamool Congress.
Trinamool leader Derek O'Brien later said: "We continue to share a warm relationship with him and his family. We wish him a speedy recovery." However, it was not clear which exact health problems prompted the actor-turned-politician to resign.
O'Brien did not elaborate on a query sent from International Business Times, India, on the exact nature of the health problems Chakraborty was suffering from. He also did not say if the Trinamool Congress had a replacement ready for Chakraborty in the Rajya Sabha.
It may be noted that Chakraborty has not been keeping well for quite some time, with his back troubling him. He had even withdrawn from the public recently while he received extensive treatment in the United States.
His manager had said in early October: "Dada [meaning elder brother, but now a name both fans and members of the film fraternity use to address the actor] is unwell and not in Mumbai. He is not using his phone and has decided to rest himself in Los Angeles for at least a month. It's been nearly two weeks now since he flew out, and he will return only by end of this month."
The actor's troubles with his back started with some action sequences gone awry for the movie Luck in 2009. In one scene, he had to jump off a helicopter, but mistimed the jump, leading to the back injury.
It may be noted that he is not the only actor-turned-Rajya Sabha member from Bengal who has had health problems of recent. BJP MP Roopa Ganguly was recently admitted to a hospital in Kolkata after she complained of a severe headache and partial loss of vision.
The initial medical check-up has revealed traces of blood clots in her brain. The matter soon turned political when the state BJP leadership said the Ganguly's health complications were the result of injuries she had suffered in an attack by Trinamool activists in May.
