Agartala, July 05, 2023: A significant political development took place ahead of the Lok Sabha election as ten senior leaders from TMC, Congress, and CITU, including Pradesh Congress General Secretary Prasanta Bhattacharya and former TMC state president Asish Lal Singh, joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Wednesday.

In a press conference at BJP state headquarters here, Food and Civil Supplies minister Sushanta Chowdhury expressed his dissatisfaction with the Pradesh Congress Committee and criticized their alliance with CPIM in the last assembly election. He pointed out that leaders like Sukhomoy Sengupta and Radhika Ranjan Gupta had fought against CPIM in the past, but now the Congress in Tripura had aligned with them, resulting in the rejection of the alliance by the people. Chowdhury attributed the BJP’s success to the development initiatives of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and called upon those who opposed the Congress-CPIM alliance to support the BJP.

In the presence of BJP state President Rajib Bhattacharjee and General Secretary Amit Rakhsit, former TMC state president Ashish Lal Singh, TMC General Secretary and Assembly Election candidate Koheli Das, TMC Secretary Krishankanta Debnath, Biswanath Ghosh, and Swapandip Chakraborty joined the BJP. From the Congress party, General Secretary and Spokesperson Prasanta Bhattacharya, Sudharsan Majumder, Sadar District Secretary, Rajib Das, Asish Deb, and CITU state committee member Surajit Bhattacharjee also joined the BJP.

Speaking to reporters, BJP state President Bhattacharjee highlighted the developmental work of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and announced the extension of the ‘Sampark Se Samarthan’ campaign until July 18. He further mentioned that all MLAs would hold ‘Tiffin Baithak’ sessions in their respective areas. Bhattacharjee expressed the party’s goal of having Modi as the Prime Minister and winning both Lok Sabha seats.

Regarding the ‘Greater Tipraland’ issue, Bhattacharjee emphasized that every party has its own agenda, but the BJP’s focus is on the development of the Janajati areas. He mentioned that their slogan is ‘Sabka Saath Sabka Vikas’ and that the Janajati Morcha is actively working towards development.

Prasanta Bhattacharya explained their decision to join the BJP, stating that Congress is now dependent on CPIM, lacks strength, and has no future. He expressed discontent with the alliance and believed that it was driven by the personal benefit of a leader. Asish Lal Singh criticized West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee for neglecting TMC leaders and workers in Tripura. Singh highlighted the lack of access to Banerjee during her visits to the state and questioned her seriousness in addressing the concerns of the people of Tripura.

Singh further elaborated on their decision to join the BJP, expressing admiration for the work of the party, the Chief Minister, and party president Rajib Bhattacharya, as well as other young leaders. The joining of these prominent leaders from TMC, Congress, and CITU signifies a significant shift in the political landscape ahead of the upcoming Lok Sabha election.