In yet another blow to the Congress in the Northeast, six of its 10 MLAs in Tripura quit the party and joined the Trinamool Congress on Tuesday.
The rebels resigned over the party high command’s decision to allow a pre-poll alliance with the Left in West Bengal.
“Six Congress MLAs submitted a desertion letter. I’ll call them for individual hearing and verification of their signatures. I’ll take a final decision in a day or two, after reviewing the rules and consulting experts,” Ramendra Chandra Debnath, Speaker of the Tripura Assembly, told Deccan Herald from the capital Agartala. Only four MLAs were present while submitting the letter.
The rebel MLAs — Asish Kumar Saha, Biswa Bandhu Sen, Diba Chandra Hrangkhawl, Paranjit Singha Roy and Dilip Sarkar — were led by former Leader of Opposition Sudip Roy Barman. The 60-member House in Tripura has been under CPM’s control since 1993 with Manik Sarkar as Chief Minister. Incidentally, Sarkar, a CPM politburo member, has also been critical of the alliance in Bengal.
A clear picture emerged on Tuesday when senior Trinamool leader Mukul Roy rushed to Agartala as the personal envoy of party chief Mamata Banerjee. Although MLAs Paranjit and Dilip were not present in the closed-door meeting with Mukul, sources said they have assured him of their support to Mamata.Former Tripura chief minister and veteran Congress leader Samir Ranjan Barman is also likely to join Trinamool. His departure will leave the Congress virtually leaderless in the state and pave the way for TMC.
DH News Service
