Former Tripura Assembly Speaker Jitendra Sarkar and sitting member (MDC) of the Tripura tribal autonomous district council Joy Kishore Jamatia are among the leaders who joined BJP here on Sunday.
Mr Sarkar, who was last elected to Assembly as a Congress nominee had resigned from State Assembly and the party last year during spate of exodus of State Congress leaders and workers to the Trinamool Congress.
In the joining programme at BJP headquarters Jitendra Sarkar was introduced as CPI(M) leader as he returned to ruling party after quitting Congress. The Schedule Caste leader who won Assembly elections six times in his long political career first left CPI(M) in 2008 after differences cropped up with senior leaders and joined Congress in 2010.
BJP General Secretary Ramlal Ji who handed over party flag to the new entrants said there has been constant erosion in CPI(M) and other parties to make BJP stronger. “There is a strong wave in favour of BJP and party would definitely win assembly elections in 2018”, he told newsmen.
MDC Joy Kishore Jamatia, 43, who was earlier expelled from the CPI(M) on moral turpitude charge pleaded innocence. “This has been a common tactic of CPI(M) to sideline a cadre if he raises voice of dissent”, he claimed.
Mr Jamatia lashed out Chief Minister Manik Sarkar for allegedly blocking central fund meant for the tribal autonomous district council. He said: “CPI(M) leaders were trying to lure me for past couple of days after I made up my mind to join BJP”.
Mr. Sarkar lambasted both CPI(M) and Trinamool Congress for their wrong political doings. He specificallytargeted TMC leader Sudip Roy Barman for putting pressure on him to follow his suit.
I was threatened by anti-socials and goons for which I had to take refuge in DGP office and contact Chief Minister for safety. The situation forced me to resign from Assembly and rejoin CPI(M).
“But CPI(M) did not show any respect to me. I made to seat idle without party programme and engagement”, he lamented. If someone ever left Communist party, (they) should not return back, Mr. Sarkar advised.
Some professionals such as doctors and lawyers also joined BJP. They included Advocate Siraj Ali whose father was a CPI(M) councilor in Agartala Municipal Corporation.
