No rift in Tripura BJP : party state president

PTI, May 22, 2023, 2:47 PM IST

The ruling BJP in Tripura has denied any rift within the party following former chief minister Biplab Kumar Deb’s allegation of ‘outsider’ interference in it.

BJP state unit president Rajib Bhattacharjee on Sunday said he will talk to Deb if he has any grievance in the handling of the party.

The statement came hours after Deb made his allegation of ‘outsider’ interference in the ruling party which, he claimed, is hurting the organisation. ””Biplab da and Manik da (Chief Minister Manik Saha) are our leaders … There is no trouble in the party. But if it is there we will try to remove it,” Bhattcharjee said to questions by reporters of a probable rift within the saffron party.

”Biplab da is our leader and the ex chief minister of Tripura. He is now the ‘prabhari’ (in-charge) of Haryana. I saw him venting his anger before the media. We will hold talks to know the reason for his feelings. We want to work together as a family,” he added.

The allegation by Deb, a Rajya Sabha member of the BJP, at a press meeting came just a day before the crucial BJP Tripura state executive meeting on Monday to chalk out the party’s strategy for the 2024 Lok Sabha election. He said ”outsiders” were interfering in the BJP’s organisational affairs and weakening it. Deb said he has apprised the party’s leadership of it.

He left for Delhi later on Sunday after an ”urgent call” from the BJP central leadership. He is set to skip the state executive meeting, party sources said on Monday. Bhattacharjee said he was not aware of Deb intimating the central leadership on the ‘outsider’ interference issue. ”But we will try to sort it out. We will surely talk to Deb,” he iterated.

The president of district units of BJP are expected to lay their reports on the party’s organisational situation on the table during the meeting. BJP state in-charge Mahesh Sharma, Chief Minister Manik Saha and Bhattacharjee will be present in the meeting among other party leaders, sources in the party said.

Saha, who was out of state for two days, returned on Saturday and held a preparatory meeting for the state executive meeting. Party sources said Union Minister for Social Justice and Social Empowerment Pratima Bhoumik was not seen in the preparatory meeting.