By Firstdespatch Desk May 21, 2023
Agartala, May 21 (FD) Former Tripura Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb expressed his concerns about the Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) functioning in Tripura, stating that "outsiders" and people with an "infiltrator mentality" are weakening the party's prospects.
Deb, who is also a Rajya Sabha MP, said that these individuals with external influence are damaging the party's organization in the state.
He has brought this issue to the attention of the party's top leadership and stated his commitment to work in any capacity assigned to him under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Deb acknowledged that the BJP-led government is in power for a second term in Tripura since the state was freed from communist rule. However, he criticized the interference of outsiders in the party and affirmed his belief in running the party with Modi and Amit Shah's leadership.
Deb refrained from providing specific details about the external influence but emphasized his duty to present such matters to the appropriate authorities.
Although Deb was unceremoniously replaced as Chief Minister last year, he maintained that the party does not belong to any specific individual and that most state leaders had worked with him. He expressed confidence in the party's popularity among the people and predicted victory in both Lok Sabha seats from Tripura in the upcoming 2024 Parliamentary elections.
Deb's comments were made after his return to Tripura following a nearly 20-day absence, during which he was serving as the party in-charge for Haryana. While some organizational reshuffling has occurred within the BJP in Tripura, Deb remains a member of the party's state core committee.
Although sources close to Deb indicated that he had more reservations about the party's state of affairs, he refrained from speaking further on the matter due to instructions from senior party leaders. He is expected to visit New Delhi at the request of the party high-command after his briefing.
The BJP, which won a single majority in 2018 with 36 seats and a 43.59% vote share, experienced a decrease in seats to 31 in the latest elections. However, the overall voter percentage increased to 38.97%, while the ally IPFT's share decreased from 7.38% to 1.26%.