Agartala: After joining the Trinamool Congress (TMC) nearly six months ago, former Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) legislator Asish Das quit the TMC on Friday ahead of next month’s by-polls to four assembly seats in Tripura, including the one he had represented.
“Few months back there was a buzz in favour of TMC in Tripura and nearly 80% of the state’s population felt inclined to join the party. At that time, I quit the BJP and joined TMC. But I’ve now realized that TMC doesn’t give due respect to people of Tripura and my self-respect doesn’t allow me to continue with the party. TMC has no future here,” Das said.
The former MLA alleged that TMC was giving mileage and publicity to the ruling BJP government in the state and doing nothing else. Das didn’t indicate whether he would be joining any other party soon.
Das had become an MLA for the first time in 2018 after winning from Surma constituency in Dhalai district on a BJP ticket.
The former BJP MLA made news last October when he shaved his head, took a dip in the Ganga and offered prayers at a temple in West Bengal’s Kalighat saying he was performing an act of penance before joining the Trinamool Congress in Agartala, in the presence of TMC general secretary Abhishek Banerjee.
{{/usCountry}}The former BJP MLA made news last October when he shaved his head, took a dip in the Ganga and offered prayers at a temple in West Bengal’s Kalighat saying he was performing an act of penance before joining the Trinamool Congress in Agartala, in the presence of TMC general secretary Abhishek Banerjee.
{{/usCountry}}Later in January, the Tripura assembly speaker disqualified him as an MLA for six years under the anti-defection law.
Reacting to his decision to quit the party, TMC Tripura unit chief Subal Bhowmik said that Asish Das was not seen in any party activities since his joining.
“Das has made statements against the TMC in the past as well. I don’t want to speak ill of him. But he was not seen in any party activities since he joined the TMC under the guidance of our general secretary Abhishek Banerjee. When he was not behaving as part of the TMC, how can he quit the party?” Bhowmik asked.
By-polls to four assembly seats in Tripura including Surma, which fell vacant after Das quit the BJP and joined TMC and was disqualified, will be held on June 23. The polls, being held nine months ahead of next year’s assembly polls, are being seen by some as a semi-final of sorts before the Tripura assembly election scheduled for 2023.