Connect with us
Monday,22-December-2025
Breaking News

Politics

BJP’s replacement of Tripura CM with eye on 2023 polls

Published

on

After Uttarakhand, Gujarat and Karnataka, the BJP has changed its Chief Minister in Tripura, months ahead of the Assembly polls in the Northeastern state, with a view on electoral calculations and gains.

The election to the 60-member Tripura Assembly is due in January-February 2023.

Though the script was written in Delhi, the real drama was played in Agartala to overcome the anti-incumbency factor at least eight to nine months ahead of the crucial Assembly polls, which is expected to be multi-cornered between the CPI-M, the Congress, new entrant Trinamool Congress (TMC), besides the ruling BJP.

A year after the BJP-Indigenous People’s Front of Tripura (IPFT) government assumed charge on March 9, 2018, ending the 25-year rule of the Left Front, Tripura has witnessed waves of revolt by dissident BJP MLAs led by Sudip Roy Barman against Biplab Kumar Deb, who also subsequently announced to obtain a people’s mandate by calling a public meeting.

His move was later cancelled following the intervention of the Central BJP leadership.

Amid open resentment by a section of the ruling BJP MLAs and leaders in Tripura, the Cabinet expansion took place on August 31, 2021, by inducting three ministers even as the dissident MLAs and BJP leaders boycotted that swearing-in-ceremony.

The dissidence in May 2019 was sparked off after the State Health and Family Welfare and the Information Technology Minister Roy Barman was sacked following differences with Deb.

Sudip Roy Barman, six other MLAs and many leaders had quit the Congress in 2016 to join the TMC and next year (2017) they joined the BJP and helped it win the Assembly elections in 2018.

However, then, Sudip Roy Barman and Ashis Kumar Saha, who resigned from the state Assembly and the BJP on February 7, 2022, rejoined the Congress in New Delhi on February 8.

Earlier, BJP MLA Ashish Das, after openly criticising the saffron party and its leadership, including Deb, joined the TMC on October 31, 2021, following which he was disqualified from the state Assembly.

Following the tumult, several senior Central BJP leaders on a number of occasions visited Tripura to quell the internal dispute and plug the shortcomings, both in the government and the party organisation.

Political Commentator and Editor of Tripura’s leading English daily “North East Colors”, Sanjib Deb said that it is clear and loud that though removed from the post of Chief Minister, Biplab Kumar Deb is not going to be dumped, rather the steering is going to remain with him.

“After submitting the resignation, Deb told the media that he is going to remain with the party organisation. What is most important is that in the meeting of the BJP Legislature Party on Saturday, Biplab Kumar Deb had proposed the name of Manik Saha while the Deputy Chief Minister Jishnu Dev Varma seconded it,” he said.

He said when Biplab Kumar Deb became the Chief Minister, there were talks in Tripura that the government is the BJP’s, Council of Ministers are from Congress (as most Ministers are from the party) and administration is of the CPI-M (as the officials were recruited during the 25 years of Left Front government).

Political analyst and writer Sekhar Datta said the change of Chief Ministership in Tripura was long overdue.

“BJP has taken the decision to avoid the anti-incumbency issues eight to nine months before the crucial Assembly elections. The BJP retained power in Assam (2021) and Manipur (2022) in the Assembly polls. So retaining power in Tripura in the 2023 polls is a vital issue for the saffron party to keep its aim ‘Congress Mukt Northeast region’.”

Local print and electronic media mostly welcomed the BJP’s decision and criticised Deb’s style of functioning.

Editor of Tripura’s leading vernacular daily ‘Syandan Patrika’, Subal Kumar Dey said he had written in April 2020 about “Deb’s autocratic governance”.

“Only due to Deb’s dictatorial style of work and undemocratic mindset, three BJP MLAs were forced to leave the party weakening the organisation and the government,” Dey.

BJP sources said Biplab Kumar Deb will be Tripura BJP President as the incumbent Manik Saha had to quit the post on becoming the Chief Minister.

RSS loyalist Deb became the state BJP President in January 2016, a year after he returned to the state after spending many years outside it.

Maharashtra

Mira Road: Bundles Of Blank PVC Aadhar Card Found On Roadside Near Kashimira Ahead Of Municipal Corporations Polls 2026

Published

on

Mira Road: showing bundles of blank PVC Aadhaar cards lying on the roadside in the Kashimira area of Mira Road has gone viral on social media. The incident has sparked questions, especially as the Mira Bhayandar Municipal Corporation elections are scheduled to be held on January 15, 2026.

The video was shared on Instagram by a local page, Mirabhayanderkar. In the post, the user questioned how blank Aadhaar PVC cards were found in public and whether their presence was legal, hinting at possible misuse ahead of the civic polls. The post captioned, “Blank PVC AADHAR CARD found on ROADS in #Kashimira. Is it legal or something fishy going on, when #MBMCelection are coming????”

One user wrote, “Kisi xerox wale ka hoga ya printing wale ka.” Some other user clarified, saying that these blank PVC cards are not used for original cards. “These are stationery-shop PVC cards, not original Aadhaar cards. After the government changed the official Aadhaar printing format, these pre-printed PVC cards can no longer be used as valid Aadhaar copies.”

Some other user highlighted, “Bhayander east BP road pe 300 rs Mai nakli PAN Card Aadhar card bantae hai. Sirf aapna photo de do aur 4-6 din Mai card hath Mai, bahut saare Bangladeshi aur pata nhi kaha kaha ke log hai Jo kaafi time se aise yaha pe rahete hai.”

The Mira Bhayandar Municipal Corporation has a total of 24 wards. The civic body has 8,89,151 total number of registered voters. Of these, 4,33,553 are male voters, while 3,86,788 are female voters. The report also stated that the process of removing duplicate names from the voter list is still ongoing, and a final report on repeat voters will be submitted to the Election Commission before December 27.

With the upcoming metro connectivity, Mira Bhayandar’s link to Mumbai city is expected to improve significantly. For residents of Mira Bhayandar, transportation has long been the biggest concern.

Traffic congestion and poor road conditions have been persistent problems for Mira Bhayandar. Moreover, as several parts of Mumbai have recently witnessed debates over the Marathi and Hindi language issue, Bhayandar faces a different social challenge. The area, which has a large population of Marwadis, Jains, and Brahmins, often sees disputes related to vegetarian vs non-vegetarian food practices.

Continue Reading

National News

CM Yogi’s ‘2 namoone’ jibe at Oppn over codeine row, Akhilesh hits back with a twist (Lead)

Published

on

Lucknow, Dec 22: Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Monday launched a tirade at the opposition over the codeine cough syrup controversy and hurled a ‘2 namoone’ jibe — pointed towards two ‘young’ leaders, one in Delhi and the other in Lucknow.

The Chief Minister, speaking in the Legislative Assembly, rejected any reports of death in the state due to codeine syrup and also vowed to take bulldozer action against those involved in its manufacture and illegal trade.

“No deaths have occurred from codeine cough syrup in Uttar Pradesh… There are two namoones inside the country, one sitting in Delhi and one in Lucknow. Whenever any discussion happens in the country, they immediately flee the country,” he said, taking a swipe at the Leader of Opposition (LoP) Rahul Gandhi and Samajwadi Party (SP) supremo Akhilesh Yadav, without taking names.

The Chief Minister added that strict action would be taken under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act against all those involved in illegal trade and also drew a link between the syrup’s licence with the then SP government.

“The biggest wholesaler, who was first caught by the STF, was issued a licence by the Samajwadi Party in 2016,” he pointed out.

CM Yogi’s remarks in the Assembly came on the back of opposition leaders staging a protest inside and outside the Assembly, demanding a discussion on the cough syrup matter.

The SP chief was, however, quick to respond to the Chief Minister’s diatribe and hit back with a twist.

Akhilesh Yadav interpreted CM Yogi’s remarks as “self-acceptance of two power centres” in the BJP and projected it as a fight between the two.

Insinuating that there was a power tussle between the BJP’s central leadership and the Yogi government, he said that it has come out in the open and the latter should be “wary of offending” the former.

“Self-Acceptance! No one expected the Delhi-Lucknow feud to escalate to this point. People holding constitutional positions should at least maintain some public decorum among themselves and not cross the bounds of propriety. BJP folks should not bring their party’s internal squabbles out to the crossroads. If someone takes offence somewhere, you might have to backtrack,” he wrote in a post on X.

Continue Reading

National News

BJP backs RSS chief’s ‘Hindu Rashtra’ remarks, Oppn says Constitution run’s country

Published

on

New Delhi, Dec 22: The BJP on Monday came out in support of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat’s remarks describing India as a “Hindu Rashtra” and his comments flagging what he termed “Islamic extremism” in West Bengal, triggering sharp political reactions across parties.

Addressing a gathering on Sunday, Bhagwat had asserted that India is a “Hindu nation” and said no constitutional sanction is required for it, as it is a “truth”.

He also raised questions over suspended Trinamool Congress MLA Humayun Kabir’s announcement to construct a Babri Masjid-like mosque in West Bengal, alleging that the move was “being done for votes”. The RSS chief further stated that government funds should not be used for the construction of religious places.

Backing Bhagwat’s remarks on Bengal, BJP spokesperson Pratul Shah Deo cited recent developments in Murshidabad, where an announcement regarding the construction of a Babri Masjid had been made.

Speaking to media, Deo said, “The entire West Bengal government called Maulanas there and afterwards, a large gathering was held where it was stated that we will build the Babri Masjid here. This is being done solely by the Trinamool Congress to appease the Muslim community, which is an insult to the Sanatanis. For show, they did suspend the MLA, but his arrest has not yet been made, indicating collusion between the government and this suspended MLA.”

He further alleged that the issue was deliberately raised with elections approaching.

“This is not an issue that needed to be raised at this time, but with elections in sight, the Trinamool Congress has deliberately raised this issue through one of its MLAs. So, the RSS chief is right,” Deo added.

BJP MLA Ram Kadam also supported Bhagwat’s remarks and stressed the need for Hindu unity.

Speaking to media, Kadam said, “Our Sarsanghchalak’s statement is true and attempts to shed light on the reality. On the sacred land of West Bengal, Mamata Banerjee and her supporters have caused suffering, harassment and oppression to our Hindus. They have forced their way into homes, committed misconduct against women and the people of Bengal are witnessing all of this.”

Kadam further alleged political motives behind references to Babri Masjid.

“Those who claim to speak in the name of Babri are doing so only for political gains. They do not care for anyone and are merely using excuses to gain control over a particular religion. However, if Hindus unite, no one would dare to engage in such Pakistan-pleasing, deceitful actions,” he said.

Shiv Sena leader Manisha Kayande emphasised that Hindus should unite in the face of emerging challenges.

“Considering the kind of activities taking place in our country and the nature of threats we face, Hindus should not divide themselves on the basis of caste and must unite. Our party firmly believes in this stance,” she told media.

The Opposition, however, strongly criticised the RSS chief’s remarks, asserting that India is governed by the Constitution and not by ideological declarations.

Samajwadi Party MP Awadhesh Prasad questioned the premise of the “Hindu Rashtra” statement.

Speaking to media, he said, “I would like to ask Mohan Bhagwat, very respectfully, what kind of Hindu nation he wants. Today, the highest constitutional and administrative positions in our country are held by Hindus. The President, the Prime Minister and the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court are all Hindus.”

Prasad pointed out that political leadership across parties is predominantly Hindu.

“Leaders of the ruling party are Hindus, and even leaders of the Opposition, including the Samajwadi Party, are Hindus. The Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh is also a Hindu. So what is the scale or definition by which they measure who is Hindu and Hindu Rashtra?” he asked.

He further said Bhagwat must clarify whether such a vision aligns with constitutional values.

“Our country functions through the Constitution, through which Baba Saheb Ambedkar gave equal rights to all communities. Bhagwat should clarify whether he intends to follow the Constitution framed by Baba Saheb Ambedkar in his so-called Hindu Rashtra,” Prasad added.

Janata Unnayan Party founder Humayun Kabir also reacted to Bhagwat’s comments, dismissing fears of unrest.

Speaking to reporters, he said, “We respect Mohan Bhagwat, but his assessment that there might be riots here is incorrect. We will not allow any such situation. When a Trinamool leader announced the construction of a temple, there were no riots. So why would it happen now?”

Kabir further alleged links between the RSS and the Bengal government.

“Mohan Bhagwat needs the state government’s permission to visit here. Since Mamata Banerjee has been helping the RSS in the state, the number of their shakhas has increased from 558 to 12,000. On the other hand, madrasas receive nothing, and the Muslim community does not get any benefits,” he claimed.

Continue Reading

Trending