Dissident BJP MLAs Sudip Roy Barman, and Asish Saha, who had resigned from the saffron party earlier, joined the Congress party in Delhi today.
Barman had been keeping in touch with the Congress high command for the last four months and finally he decided to join the party. “This government is miserably failed to deliver good. Only one man’s voice is heard. No legislature of ministers can exercise their power. A reign of terror has been let loose across the state. Democracy has been throttled. No, it’s our duty revived democracy in our state and ensure that all the democratic institutions are run accordingly. Autocratic mindset cannot run the state,” he said, on his resignation from his post and primary membership from the BJP, which governs Tripura.
Putting an end to speculations, Barman, along with Saha, on Monday submitted their resignations to the Speaker of the Tripura assembly Ratan Chakraborty.
“With heavy heart I have just received their resignation papers. I will examine the procedure and will soon take some decision,” Chakraborty had said.
On January 29, the disgruntled MLAs had expressed their concern, saying people of the state were being suffocated and were not able to breathe in the present political atmosphere of the state.
“We will be back in Tripura on February 12. We have also sent letters to BJP state president Manik Saha, resigning from the primary membership of the party,” said Saha. With resignations, the strength of the BJP in the 60 member state assembly has slipped to 33. Ashish Das had resigned from the primary membership of BJP earlier.
Senior politician Sudip Roy Burman dropped from the Health portfolio in the Bilap Deb government in 2019, and had joined the BJP in 2017, leaving Trinamool Congress. His removal was seen as a punitive action against his anti-party activities.
A five-time MLA, Barman was earlier the leader of the opposition and president of Tripura Pradesh Congress Committee. He had held multiple portfolios and had the charge of the Minister of Health and Family Welfare, IT, Science and Technology and Public Work Department (Drinking Water and Sanitation).
Earlier in 2020, Barman had led a group of several MLAs and BJP leaders to New Delhi seeking appointment with JP Nadda, and the general secretary BL Santosh. It was the initial seeds of mutiny against Tripura Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb which was later quelled with the interventions of senior leaders.
Twelve MLAs gathered in Delhi to appraise the party leadership about ‘total dictatorship, poor governance of the chief minister’, which in turn was leaving the party very unpopular.
Son of former Tripura Chief Minister Samir Ranjan Barman, Sudip Roy Barman has been an undisposed people’s representative from Agartala since 1998 by winning in four elections consecutively by formidable margins. He completed his BE degree from Tripura Engineering College (Presently known as NIT Agartala) in Mechanical Engineering.
He was formerly a member of Indian National Congress and All India Trinamool Congress. He was former President of the Tripura Pradesh Congress Committee and Tripura Pradesh Youth Congress Committee as well as Leader of Opposition in Tripura Legislative Assembly.
Sources also reveal that other MLAs will also be joining Congress. Other followers of Barman will join when they completes five years of their term, they said.
Congress was totally inactive in last two years and TMC was trying to make inroads in Tripura, but with Barman joining Congress, things might change for the party.
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