Central team meets Tripura MLAs amid talks of dissenters joining Trinamool

BJP state president Manik Saha accepted that there are differences among the MLAs but said the issues have been sorted out.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Tripura unit met with the central BJP team on Thursday to resolve issues within the state unit which has been witnessing a factional feud since last year.

BL Santhosh led team meets Tripura MLAs. Chief minister Biplab De also present. (BL Santhosh/Twitter)

The BJP's organisational secretary for Assam and Tripura Phanindranath Sharma, Northeast general secretary (organisation) Ajay Jamwal and state observer Vinod Sonkar led by national general secretary BL Santosh arrived in Delhi on Wednesday on a two-day trip to hold organisational meetings with the party leaders in the state amid reports of dissident MLAs leaving the party to join Trinamool Congress (TMC).

BJP state president Manik Saha accepted that there are differences among the MLAs but said the issues have been sorted out. “We are a family. In family, sometimes it happens. I can say it has been sorted out yesterday,” Saha was quoted as saying by news agency ANI. He said he was not aware of any developments where dissident MLAs said that they would join the TMC.

The panel led by Santhosh also met dissident MLAs including former health minister Sudip Roy Barman, Asish Das, Asish Saha, DC Hrangkhawl, Burba Mohan Tripura and Ramprashad Paul. People familiar with the developments told news agency ANI that a cabinet expansion could be on the cards.

“All of us who met Santhosh ji have asked to give us a state President that can keep the organisation strong. Present chief Manik Saha is a nice man but we need a strong chief,” the person cited above told news agency ANI.