From former Union Minister and East-BJP MP Alipadar Lok Sabha constituencyJohn Barla joined the Trinamool Congress (TMC) on Thursday, alleging that the BJP leadership repeatedly blocked his efforts to work for the welfare of tribal people and tea garden employees. Barla, who was elected to the Lok Sabha on the BJP ticket in 2019 and served as the Minister of State for Minority Affairs, was openly critical of the party after being denied tickets for the 2024 general elections. The BJP had placed the party’s legislative main Koda, Manoj Tigga in its place. TigGA went to win the Alipurduars parliamentary seat, which has a large population of tea garden workers and tribal communities. Since then, Barla had taken himself away from the BJP’s Bengal leadership, speculating about a possible switch.
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On Thursday, he formally attended the presence of senior leaders Subrata Bakshi and Arup Biswas at TMC in Kolkata. “If the development work for people is stopped by the party, then why should I continue in it?” Barla said after joining the party led by Mamta Banerjee. “When I became a Union Minister, I was tried to work for the people every time, the party’s leadership stopped me repeatedly,” he claimed. Barla said that he wanted to build a hospital of Rs 160 crore, and for this purpose all the formalities including the identity of the land were completed. He said, “We only had to sign the MoU, but the current leader of the opposition Suvedu officer blocked it. A call went from here to Delhi, and the project was sheltered,” he claimed. Given that the tea garden workers and tribal population had blessed the BJP, they thought what they got in return. He said, “I want to thank Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee for giving me a platform, where I can actually work for the people. I talked to him a few months ago, and he asked me to come forward and serve the people, that is why I am joining TMC,” he said. The Trinmool Congress welcomed the former BJP MP. TMC said in a post on X, “With its experience and connecting to the grassroots level, especially in Alipuruduar and among the workers of tea plantations, we believe that he will play a meaningful role in strengthening our fight for people’s rights.” It is believed that Barla’s collapse with BJP has also contributed to the party’s poor performance in the region. The difference between him and Manoj Tigga on the selection of the candidate allegedly influenced the BJP’s possibilities at the Madarhat Assembly Bipol held last year, which TMC won. Barla had previously disputed in 2021-22, when he demanded some BJP MLAs, demanding that a center area be carved from districts in the northern part of West Bengal. The move was criticized by TMC, which accused the BJP of trying to divide the state.
