Calling Biplab Deb’s governance ‘poor’, 12 BJP MLAs from Tripura are camping in New Delhi seeking the intervention in the leadership of the Chief Minister and to meet the party’s national president JP Nadda.  

The group of BJP MLAs include former state health minister Sudip Roy Barman, Asish Saha, Sushanta Choudhury, Ramprasad Pal, and Diba Chandra Hrankhawl. 

Choudhury, former youth Congress president who joined BJP in 2018, said the MLAs will “apprise the central leadership of what is happening in Tripura. They would decide if they want to intervene in the issue.” He said the MLAs are hopeful to meet BJP’s national president JP Nadda and other organisational leaders to discuss the current situation.

“Our fight is not against the BJP’s ideology. We have full faith in the dynamic leadership of the prime minister and the home minister,” Choudhary said. 

He also said they have a plan to seek appointments with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah.

One of the members of the team said that 25 of the 36 BJP MLAs “want a change”. He added that the MLAs want “a proper reshuffling in the council of ministers headed by Biplab Kumar Deb so that good governance could be delivered to people.”  

In the 60-seated Tripura Assembly, BJP has 36 legislators along with eight MLAs from its partner the Indigenous People’s Front of Tripura (IPFT). The CPI(M) has 16 seats.

He also alleged that “poor leadership and misrule” by Deb have ruined the party in the state, which is now “alienated from people, but lost ground could be restored with the delivery of good governance.”

State BJP president Dr Manik Saha, in an interview with a local TV channel on Saturday, said that he was not aware of the fact that some MLAs were in Delhi.

He also said actions would be initiated against them if they breach the party’s discipline.