Tripura BJP: Split Wide Open
Linus tackles things head-on. He takes sides in his analysis and it fits excellently with our editorial policy. No 'maybe's' and 'allegedly' for him, only things in black and white.
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By Linus Garg
First publised on 2020-10-13 15:56:03
About the Author
Linus tackles things head-on. He takes sides in his analysis and it fits excellently with our editorial policy. No 'maybe's' and 'allegedly' for him, only things in black and white.
View all posts by this Author
All is not well with the BJP in Tripura. A large section of the MLAs (reported to be nearly 50 percent of the partyâs strength in the house), led by Sudip Roy Barman, have asked for the removal of chief minister Biplab Deb. Alternatively, they have petitioned the high command to give them a larger sy in governance.
It needs to be remembered that Sudip Roy Burman (son of ex-CM Sudhir Roy Barman and ex-Congressman who joined the BJP later) was a frontrunner for the chief minister's post after the BJP won in 2018. But the party had then gone with Deb who was a dyed-in-the-wool BJP man. Roy Barman has carried a grudge for that and has now thought it fit to raise the banner of rebellion. He had also been removed from the health minister's post after the general elections in 2019.
Sudip has been camping in Delhi for the last few days along with 8 MLAs owing allegiance to him. He sees an opportunity to press his demands as Ram Madhav, who minded the north-east for the party and was seen to support Deb has recently been removed from the party post.
But the party high command has to decide on the matter in a very judicious way as the state BJP unit seems to be equally divided between the two adversaries. A delicate balance exists and tinkering with it might disturb the entire party set up. Since Roy Barman has the backing of many MLAs he and his supporters cannot be kept out of the cabinet for long.
The party has to impress upon Biplab Deb to accommodate them suitably as it cannot afford to let them sabotage the setup. Although the BJP won handsomely in the last elections, Deb has not run the state well and is facing anti-incumbency. The performance of the government is not up to the mark and several sectors have suffered. Experienced hands need to head many departments and the party can effectively use Roy Burman's services if it can convince Biplab Deb to be more accommodative.
