Dissident Agartala Congress MLAs oscillating between BJP, TMC

A CORRESPONDENT

AGARTALA, April 22: A vertical split in Tripura Congress seem to be eminent as eight of its ten MLA’s are now oscillating between the Bharatiya Jata Party and the Trimool Congress to find out which pasture will be greener for them. However, the thing will take a definite shape only after the result of the Assam and Bengal assembly elections are declared.

Both the pathologically anti-left parties, the BJP and the TMC, having good following and seeing a prospect of further expansion in the country’s only left ruled state but are suffering from dearth of leadership. According to sources both the parties are ready to welcome them to fill the gap but some technicalities are coming in their way.

The split in Congress became eminent when the senior party leader Sudip Roy Barman openly revolted after the party suffered a humiliating defeat in the by-election of the Amarpur Assembly constituency in February last. He held the ‘high command’s decision to forge an alliance with CPI (M) in West Bengal responsible for the defeat and criticized them.

He subsequently resigned from the post of the leader of the opposition in the state assembly which was followed by series of resigtions that include the executive president of the TPCC Ashish Saha, state Youth Congress president Sushanta Choudhury and at least 32 Block Congress presidents.

A show cause notice issued by the AICC general secretary in-charge of Northeast V rayanswami also failed to deter him as Barman stood by his earlier stand. He vehemently opposed the decision of Bengal alliance but refuted the accusation that he violated the party discipline.

After these developments Barman’s ejection from Congress is a matter of time only but what remains a mystery is his next destition. Though initially he was inclined towards TMC it is learnt that many of his followers are against it. They feel being a tiol party BJP’s prospect is better in this state.

The biggest problem is gathering support of at least 7 MLA. As per anti-defection law it is the minimum need for executing a split in the 10-member legislative party without sacrificing the position of an MLA. According to a close confident of the dissident faction their prospect of joining in BJP will be brighten if the party comes into power in Assam.

However, both the BJP and the TMC is maintaining a total silence over the issue.