New Delhi: The Biplab Deb-led BJP government in Tripura is likely to face a crisis, as two of the senior leaders resigned from the party and formally rejoined Congress in New Delhi on Tuesday. Disgruntled leaders Sudip Roy Barman and Ashish Saha joined Congress in the presence of Rahul and Sonia Gandhi. Following the exit of these two leaders from the BJP, its strength in the 60-member assembly has come down from 36 to 33.
Previously, BJP MLA Ashish Saha resigned after levelling allegations on the state party leadership and joined Trinamool Congress (TMC) in October last. Talking to ETV Bharat, Ashish Saha charged the state leadership of working arrogantly. "We joined BJP with this expectation that the government will be a positive development in the State. We dethroned CPM with the hope that BJP will do good. But the activities of the BJP government are similar to Left Front," said Saha.
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Saha said that before joining BJP in 2017, he was an active Congress leader and followed Congress ideology. "...As Congress had an understanding with the CPM in Delhi, we left the party and joined BJP. And now, we can say that the BJP government will also be dethroned in 2023 election," said Saha.
He expressed confidence that in the coming days more MLAs will leave BJP and join Congress. "Before the 2018 assembly election, the BJP had hardly 1.5 percent vote share. But after we joined the party, BJP formed the government," said Saha. Heavyweight leader Sudip Roy Barman echoed the same and said that their decision to join Congress was a mandate of the people of the State. "In a democracy, people's mandate is the final authority. Now, the agenda of the people is to uproot BJP. The incumbent State government in Tripura is corrupt," claimed Barman.
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"Under the leadership of Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi as well as Sonia Gandhi, Congress will again come to power in Tripura," said Barman, who played an active role in dethroning the Left Front government from Tripura and form a BJP government. He was appointed as health minister only to be dropped a year later. For the last several months, many of the Tripura BJP leaders including Saha and Barman came to the national capital to register complaints against Chief Minister Biplab Deb.
