Tripura health minister dropped for ''anti-party activities''
Agartala: Tripura Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb has dropped Health Minister Sudip Roy Barman from the Cabinet, a state government notification said.
Barman, who had joined the BJP from the Trinamool Congress two years ago, was removed on Friday night, a week after Deb warned of stern action against "enemies in the BJP".
Party leaders on condition of anonymity claimed that 56-year-old Barman was dropped due to "anti-party activities". Barman could not be reached for a comment.
A notification of the Department of General Administration (Confidential and Cabinet) issued late on Friday night said the departments held by Barman would be reassigned to the chief minister and Deputy Chief Minister Jishnu Devvarma.
A five-time MLA, Barman was the leader of the opposition and president of Tripura Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC). He joined Trinamool Congress in 2016, and then defected to the BJP in 2017 with a group of Congress MLAs.
There were demands of cabinet reshuffle in the party, BJP spokesperson Nabendu Bhattacharya said.
Party leaders wanted that cabinet berths should be filled up on the basis of the track records of leaders.
"Three cabinet berths were not filled up when the new cabinet of the BJP-IPFT government took oath of office. With Barman's exit another berth became vacant," he told PTI.
"It is presumed that there will be reshuffle of the council of ministers and some new members will be incorporated on the basis of the performance of those leaders," he said.
The BJP-IPFT government came to power in the state one-and-a-half years ago.
The chief minister, who holds seven portfolios including home, would now also be in charge of the departments such as PWD (Drinking Water and Sanitation), Industries and Commerce (IT) and Health and Family Welfare.
The deputy chief minister, who also holds the portfolio of finance would hold the charge of Science, Technology and Environment Department.
After the results of all the two parliamentary constituencies were announced on May 23, Deb told reporters that despite conspiracies hatched by the 'enemies inside BJP', the party had won with a huge margin. He said stern action would be taken against the conspirators.
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'Betrayal of people's mandate': Tejashwi on Nitish's Rajya Sabha entry
Patna (PTI): RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav on Thursday said Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's decision to enter the Rajya Sabha was a "betrayal" of the people's mandate.
Yadav, the leader of the opposition in the state assembly, alleged the BJP has always been opposed to Dalits and OBCs, and with Kumar leaving the CM's post, it will seek to implement its agenda in the socialist stronghold.
"The BJP has done a Maharashtra in Bihar," he said.
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"We have been saying from the very beginning that the BJP will not let Nitish Kumar remain the chief minister after the elections. This is exactly what has happened. This development is against the mandate of the people and amounts to a betrayal of it," he said.
Alleging that the BJP had "hijacked" Kumar, Yadav said that was the reason the veteran leader was now moving to the Rajya Sabha.
"BJP is against OBCs and Dalits. They never want a leader from these communities to occupy the top post. They want a chief minister who will function like a rubber stamp for the top BJP leadership," he alleged.
"I had said -- 'Nitish ji ko ghoda toh chadhaya hai dulha banake, lekin phera kisi aur ke saath dila raha hai' (They made Nitish Kumar mount the horse like a groom, but are getting someone else to take the wedding vows)," he added.
Kumar, the state's longest-serving chief minister, filed nomination papers for the Rajya Sabha polls, paving the way for the first BJP-led government in the state.
