Although Tapas Roy resigned as a Trinamool legislator on Monday, his resignation is yet to be accepted by Assembly Speaker Biman Bandopadhyay….reports Asian Lite News
Ahead of the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, former Trinamool Congress leader and veteran politician Tapas Roy, who had resigned both from his Assembly post and primary party membership on March 4, officially joined the BJP on Wednesday afternoon.
Roy was welcomed into the saffron camp by state BJP President and Lok Sabha member Sukanta Majumdar, and leader of opposition in the state Assembly Suvendu Adhikari, who handed over the party flag to him.
Also Read
“From today, I am part of the BJP family and as long as I live, I will continue to be here. I will try to work as directed by the BJP leadership with equal sincerity, something which I have done all through my political career.
“It was impossible for me to continue in the Trinamool Congress, which is running the state government without caring for the minimum democratic decorum. Trinamool has become a party dominated by anti-social elements like Sheikh Shahjahan, Shibu Hazra and Uttam Sardar. So, I have consciously quit the Trinamool and joined the BJP,” Roy said.
Although Roy resigned as a Trinamool legislator on Monday, his resignation is yet to be accepted by Assembly Speaker Biman Bandopadhyay.
According to the Speaker, there were some technical mistakes in the resignation letter of Roy, who has been asked to submit a revised letter on Thursday.
Reacting to Roy joining the BJP, rebel Trinamool leader Kunal Ghosh, who continues to be the party’s state General Secretary, said that had the ruling party leadership taken initiatives at the right time, the exit of a senior leader like Roy could have been avoided.
“Personally, Roy joining the BJP is a matter of immense pain,” Ghosh said.
Before resigning from Trinamool, Roy had said that although Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had initially defended Sheikh Shahjahan on the floor of the House over the attack on ED team at Sandeshkhali on January 5, she was silent about the central agency’s raid at his residence in Kolkata in connection with the multi-crore municipalities’ recruitment case, which “saddened” him “immensely”.
He had also claimed that the ED operation at his place was orchestrated by the leader of Trinamool Congress in the Lok Sabha, Sudip Bandopadhyay.
‘TMC not formed to shape Bengal this way’
Ahead of the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, former Trinamool Congress leader Tapas Roy, who had resigned both from his Assembly post and from the party on Sunday, joined the Bharatiya Janata Party on Wednesday.
After joining the BJP, the former TMC leader said that there are several reasons for leaving the TMC, adding that the party was not formed to shape Bengal this way.
Tapas Roy joined the BJP in the presence of West Bengal LoP and BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari and West Bengal BJP chief Sukant Majumdar at the BJP party office in Kolkata.
Tapas Roy said, “There are several reasons for leaving (TMC), like lawlessness, Sandeshkhali and the tears of mothers and sisters. I could not tolerate all of this. TMC was not formed to shape Bengal this way.”
While tendering his resignation on Sunday, the Baranagar MLA said that he resigned because he felt that he was not respected in the party. Tapas Roy is also the Deputy Whip of TMC.
“I resigned because I felt that I was not respected in this party, many times such situations arose where I felt this. The ED team reached my house on January 12th, it has been many days since the incident took place but no sympathy or cooperation has been received from the party,” he said earlier. (IANS/ANI)
Tripura Oppn TMP to Join BJP-led Ministry
After year-long hectic parleys and five days after signing a tripartite agreement with the Centre and the Tripura government, the opposition Tipra Motha Party (TMP) will join the BJP-led coalition government in the state on Thursday, adding a new twist to Tripura’s politics.
Sources said that Opposition leader & senior TMP legislator Animesh Debbarma and party MLA Brishaketu Debbarma are expected to take oath as Cabinet ministers at the Raj Bhavan on Thursday.
Governor Indra Sena Reddy Nallu will administer the oath and secrecy to the new ministers.
“Chief Minister Manik Saha was scheduled to leave for Malda in West Bengal on Wednesday to attend a political event. However, the Chief Minister changed his schedule and would go to West Bengal after the swearing-in-ceremony of ministers on Thursday morning,” a source said.
Meanwhile, a senior BJP leader, while speaking to IANS, denied reports which suggested that one or two MLAs from the ruling BJP are also likely to be included in the Council of Ministers headed by Chief Minister Saha.
Since the BJP-led alliance assumed charge for the second consecutive term on March 8 last year, three ministerial berths have been lying vacant.
Another tribal-based party, the Indigenous People’s Front of Tripura (IPFT), is also an ally of the BJP-led government, and its lone MLA Sukla Charan Noatia is a Cabinet minister in charge of Cooperation, Tribal Welfare (TRP and PTG) and Welfare of Minorities Departments.
The TMP, in its maiden electoral battle in the February 16 Assembly polls held last year, had fielded 42 candidates, including 20 on the tribal reserved seats.
The party had won 13 seats with a vote share of 19.69 per cent, as it highlighted its demand for ‘Greater Tipraland’ or a separate state for the tribals under Articles 2 and 3 of the Constitution.
After the Assembly polls, the TMP with overwhelming dominance among the tribals, became the second-largest party in the state to secure the main opposition party status.
After wresting power in the politically-crucial Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council (TTAADC) in April 2021, the TMP intensified its agitation in support of its ‘Greater Tipraland’ demand, which has been strongly opposed by the ruling BJP, Left Front, Congress, Trinamool Congress and other parties.
The TTAADC, which has jurisdiction over two-thirds of Tripura’s 10,491 sq km area, and is home to over 12,16,000 people, of which around 84 per cent are tribals, is, in terms of its political significance, the second most important constitutional body in the state after the Tripura Assembly.
On March 2, the TMP had signed a tripartite agreement with the Centre and the Tripura government in the presence of Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Tripura Chief Minister Manik Saha and others.
According to the agreement, a Joint Working Group/Committee would be formed to work out and implement the mutually-agreed issues in a time-bound manner to ensure an ‘honourable’ solution to tribals’ demands.
“The agreement was signed amicably to resolve all the issues of the indigenous people of Tripura relating to their history, land rights, political rights, economic development, identity, culture, language etc.,” the agreement said.
ALSO READ: Recognize India’s Dynamic Evolution, Jaishankar Tells Japan
