For first time BJP has marked its first presence in Tripura Assembly after six former Trinamool Congress legislators joined the party in Agartala on Monday afternoon. The MLAs who just a year ago defected from Congress to TMC announced that BJP was only party that can ensure end of CPI(M) regime in Tripura in Assembly elections due in February next year.
Union Power Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, Assam’s Finance Minister and Chairman of NDA affiliate Northeast Democratic Alliance (NEDA), state BJP president Biplab Kumar Deb and Central observer Sunil Deodhar received the MLAs and handed them over party flag at the joining venue in Agartala.
Prelude to joining the MLAs — Ashish Kumar Saha, Sudip Roy Barman, Pranjit Singha Roy, Biswabandhu Sen, Diba Chandra Hrangkhawl and Dilip Sarkar led a huge precession in city in an apparent show of strength. BJP’s national General Secretary Ram Madhav could not turn up to grace the occasion due to an urgent engagement elsewhere, party sources said.
Ram Madhav and Himanta Biswa Sharma reportedly played a key role in pursuing MLAs to join BJP in a bid to unify major opposition stakeholders to take on CPI(M) which has a strong organisation and support base in Tripura. CPI(M) led left front has been in power in Tripura since 1978 except a break between 1988 and 1993.
Mr. Barman, leader of MLA group, said they would ‘stand united in BJP to dislodge CPI(M) in assembly elections’ just seven months away. People of the State desperately wanted a change and their aspirations would be fulfilled, he added.
Meanwhile State Congress president Birajit Sinha termed the MLAs ‘opportunist’ and said they don’t have any moral right to hold legislative position since they were elected with Congress symbol. Two prominent former TMC leaders Ratan Chakraborty and Surajit Datta who earlier joined BJP skipped the joining programme of MLAs.
