BJP set to fortify Tripura unit amid dissent

Agartala: AMID dissidence and discontent among a section of the legislators and leaders, the ruling BJP in the State along with the party's central leaders, have initiated a series of meetings to strengthen the organisation before the 2023 Tripura Assembly polls. Tripura Pradesh Bharatiya Janata Party chief spokesman Subrata Chakraborty on Tuesday said that after the Monday's State Executive meeting, which was held after 10 months due to the Covid pandemic, district and 'Mandal' (State Assembly constituency) level executive meetings would be completed by July 15. Though Chakraborty said that these meetings have no relation with the next Assembly elections, due in one and a-half-years, the political circles observed that the ruling party has seriously taken initiatives to further consolidate the party organisations in the midst of dissidence of a section of legislators and leaders.

To quell the dissidence and differences, besides the State Executive meeting two other very important meetings were held in less than ten days.

On June 16, BJP's national General Secretary, Organisation, BL Santosh, General Secretary in-charge of the Northeast region Ajay Jamwal and central observer Fanindra Nath Sharma rushed to the State and held a series of meetings for two days with the state leaders, legislators, ministers and other party functionaries.

Another central observer Vinod Sonkar was scheduled to come on June 16 but his tour was cancelled at the last minute.

In the Monday's meeting, where the dissidenting leaders and MLAs led by former Minister Sudip Roy Barman remained absent, Nath Sharma physically attended while BJP's strategist and National General Secretary Bhupender Yadav and Sonkar virtually participated in the meeting from Delhi.

A BJP insider said that at least ten of the party's 36 MLAs did not participate in the June 25 crucial meeting held in the State Assembly conference hall.

BJP spokesman Nabendu Bhattacharjee said senior leaders are thinking about those MLAs and leaders who remained absent without informing the party.

Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb, a former state BJP President, who attended all the three important meetings, asked all the leaders, ministers, MLAs and functionaries to maintain close relations with a cross section of the people to make the party base more strong. Emphasising on triple 'S' -- 'Sambad' (information), 'Swabhav' (good relations) and 'Sadachar' (good behaviour), Deb said if the party leaders and functionaries sincerely work for the people's welfare, the BJP would be able to defeat the other parties in the coming elections.

Strong speculations about a fresh political development in Tripura are rife after BJP national Vice President Mukul Roy along with his son Subhrangshu Roy rejoined the ruling Trinamool Congress on June 11 in Kolkata.

Roy, before joining the BJP around four years ago, had often visited Tripura to supervise the Trinamool's organisational matters.

Under Roy's influence, seven Congress MLAs led by Sudip Roy Barman and a large number of party leaders and workers joined the Trinamool in 2016 and a year later joined the BJP, boosting the political strength of the saffron party.