Mamata Banerjee is purportedly considering Rajya Sabha member Sukhendu Sekhar Ray’s appeal for forgiveness for his public comments, which added to the discomfiture of the Trinamool Congress at the height of the R.G. Kar movement, sources in the party said.

The three-term Rajya Sabha member wrote to the chief minister a letter of unconditional apology following advice from TMC leader Kunal Ghosh.

“It essentially was an act of unconditional surrender, which the chief minister usually takes kindly to. She is considering it, but there is no final decision yet,” said a seniorin Trinamool.

TMC insiders said the 75-year-old Upper House veteran, sidelined by the party over the past three months or so, spoke to Derek O’Brien — Trinamool’s leader in the Rajya Sabha — and was encouraged to attend a strategy meeting of the parliamentary party in Delhi on Wednesday.

Ray was removed as editor of Trinamool’s Bengali news daily Jago Bangla in September and excluded from the party’s national executive committee meeting at Mamata’s residence as recently as November 25.

“We are told he sent a letter of apology explaining himself, offering no excuses. He said he was emotionally overwhelmed as the father of a daughter when (the rape and murder of the junior doctor at) R.G. Kar (Medical College and Hospital) came to light, and that he was misled, misguided by a lot of mis/dis/mal-information everyone was inundated with at the time,” said a senior in Bengal’s ruling party.

“He swallowed his pride and sought the advice of Kunal — whom he is no fan of — and was asked to directlyapproach her.”

Called on his cellphone, Ray did not respond to this newspaper on Wednesday.

Trinamool state general secretary Ghosh said things Ray had done were unwelcome and removed from reality.

“I suppose he is realising that he took some wrong steps in a delusional state. He did contact me. I have known him for a long, he is a senior leader.... I told him that he was out of touch with reality at the time, and had reacted in intemperate, improper ways in public. That was not expected of him,” said Ghosh.

“I had advised him to let the chief minister know how he now feels about what he did back then. I am told he did so. What will happen thereafter is beyond my jurisdiction,” he added.