Soma Mookherjee
KOLKATA, 14 MAY: Dr Manik Saha will be the next chief minister of Tripura after Biplab Deb stepped down from the post on Saturday. Saha is the state BJP president as well as Rajya Sabha MP. He was a frontrunner for the post. The decision was made during the BJP’s legislative party meeting for which union minister Bhupendra Yadav and general secretary Vinod Tawde were appointed as central observers.
In a sudden turn of events, only ten months before the Tripura Assembly poll, the sitting chief minister Biplab Deb today stepped down from the post.
In his first reaction to the media after resigning from the post of CM, Deb said, “I have worked for Tripura and am thankful to the party.” He further said he needs to work at the grassroots to strengthen the party’s base in the state. “I need to work on grassroot level in various sectors. I should work as a common karyakarta (party worker) rather than being in the position of CM to form BJP government again in the coming assembly elections,” he added.
Tweeting about his resignation, Deb said: “I thank Central leadership & people of Tripura for giving me the responsibility to serve Tripura as a Chief Minister. I have wholeheartedly served my State & will always work for the betterment of my State. Tripura shall definitely march ahead in the path of devt. Jai Hind.”
After it was announced Dr Manik Saha will replace him the new chief minister of Tripura, Biplab Deb congratulated him on Twitter. He tweeted: “Congratulations and best wishes to @DrManikSaha2 ji on being elected as the legislature party leader. I believe under PM Shri @narendramodi Ji’s vision and leadership Tripura will prosper.”
Sources in the BJP said outgoing chief minister Biplab Deb is likely to be brought to the Rajya Sabha. It is also being said that Biplab will be asked to take up the post of the party president of Tripura. He had taken oath as the first chief minister of the BJP in Tripura in 2018.
Meanwhile, soon after the announcement of Biplab Deb’s resignation, the infighting in the Tripura BJP unit has started to unravel like a ‘House of Cards’.
Following the announcement of Tripura BJP president Manik Saha as the state’s new chief minister, BJP workers have gone into a rampage and commotion is at its peak across the state.
While some leaders have threatened to commit suicide, others are banking on the tried-and-tested formula of violence. Clashes have broken out at the BJP party office in the state. Several BJP workers have been involved in ruckus with each other after Deb’s sudden resignation took the entire party by surprise.
BJP MLA Parimal Debbarma confesses that there was no consultation within the party before appointing Manik Saha as the new CM.
Mr Rajib Banerjee state-in-charge of Trinamul Congress in Tripura said the double-engine government in Tripura is a total flop and due to excess violence, corruption will be responsible for the sure fall of BJP party in the Tripura.
Tags: #BiplabDeb #TripuraCM #ManikSaha #BJPStatePresident