BJP flies in senior leaders as TMC reaches out to Tripura ‘rebels’

Having dealt a blow to the BJP in West Bengal, the Trinamool Congress is now reaching out to rebels in the faction-ridden Tripura BJP.

Amidst speculations about party leaders leaving, BJP general secretary B L Santhosh and its organisation secretary for the Northeast, Ajay Jamwal, landed in Agartala on Wednesday and met senior leaders and MLAs.

The party also said the TMC’s attempts would not succeed as the central leadership had addressed the issues raised by the disgruntled leaders and placated them.

Mukul Roy had been instrumental in bringing six Tripura MLAs from the Congress to the TMC fold in 2016, after the Congress tied up with the Left in West Bengal.

In October, BJP leader Sudip Roy Barman, who was among the MLAs in the TMC and considered close to Roy, had led more than half-a-dozen of the BJP’s 36 MLAs (in a House of 60) to Delhi seeking a leadership change in Tripura.

Sources also said many in the Barman camp had deserted him as the central leadership had made it clear that Deb would not be replaced.

One of the MLAs who accompanied Barman to Delhi said, “We don’t like to be called rebels.

TMC Tripura president Ashish Lal Singh claimed a surge into the party since Mamata Banerjee’s victory in West Bengal, saying “11,300 people from the BJP and CPM have joined the TMC in the last two weeks”.