AGARTALA, June 7 (TIWN): Mamata Banerjee’s TMC started its official Tripura mission on Tuesday with the formal split of rebel MLAs Sudip Barman and other five MLAs from Tripura Pradesh Congress in presence of TMC Vice President Mukul Roy. Alongwith Sudip Roy Barman, the other Congress MLAs who signed the letter to Assembly Speaker include Ashish Saha, Biswabandhu Sen, Diba Chandra Hrangkhawl, Pranjit Singha Roy and Dilip Sarkar. Congress MLA Sudip Barman accompanied by three legislators,submitted a letter signed by six Congress MLAs to Assembly Speaker Ramendra Debnath on Tuesday. Congress President Sonia Gandhi’s blunder of forging alliance with Sitaram Yechury’s CPI-M in Bengal Poll costed heavily for Tripura Congress as Party is now sized down to a mere 3 MLAs in 60 member Tripura Assembly.

At the same time, Cong-CPM poll alliance wiped off CPI-M party in West Bengal as communist party barely managed to win 26 seats in 294 member Bengal Assembly. 

Manik Sarkar led Tripura CPI-M now will be facing fiery Mamata Banerjee led TMC in 2018 Tripura Assembly Polls. 

However, it  is to be seen whether father-son duo Sudip Barman, Samir Barman plays the role of ‘real opposition’ under TMC banner or the same old role of muted opposition (CPI-M’s B team) as they have been doing to weaken Tripura Congress over two decades from 1991 to 2016.

Congress-Left Front alliance adopted for the West Bengal assembly polls is simply a mismatch of ideology; the tie-up is simply a mistake and devoid of any ideology so it costed heavily CPI-M and Congress.

According to the political analysts, this wrong step of Sitaram  Yechury has put an end to the so called ideologies of CPI-M in the nation.

To fight against Mamata in west Bengal, the CPI (M), in an effort to form a secular and democratic alliance against the Trinamool Congress (TMC) and BJP, made it clear that it would consider if an offer comes from the Congress which revealed that they will not approach to the parties for alliance thereby pushing the ball in the court of Congress.

Apart this alliance is a question to the society as there can’t be alliance where there is no similarity. Both CPI-M and congress has different ideology and strategy.

As the utter failure of CPI-M and congress alliance in Bengal election failed to wake up Sonia-Yechury combine, so its no surprise that Tripura’s Congress heading towards extinction.

However, most importantly, Sudip Roy Barman led TMC how far will go to oppose Manik Sarkar led CPI-M is a big question mark in Tripura’s Politics as father-son duo never strengthened Congress Party from grass root level  during their haydays of holding posts from Opposition leader to PCC Presidents during 1991 to 2016.

Due to PCC leadership weakness, corruption and nepotism, CPI-M was directly benefitted in every Tripura election after Congress-TUJS Govt in 1988-93.

Not only that, Sudip’s father Samir Ranjan Barman was chief architect for de-stabilizing Sudhir Majumder led Congress-TUJS Govt  in 1991, which forced Congress high command to install Samir Barman in Chief Minister’s post in1992.

During Samir Ranjan Barman’s 2 years rule in 1992,1993, - Tripura witnessed massive deterioration of law & order, daily rapes, murders,kidnappings  - as a result Tripura people voted for CPI-M in Tripura in1993.

A senior Congress leader, Tapas Dey, said in Feb 2016 that it was due to the wrongdoing of the Barmans that the Congress was dislodged from power in 1993 in Tripura.

So, its no secret that Manik Sarkar’s trusted friend is Samir Ranjan Barman, as senior Barman kept his loyality towards friendship always by sacrificing Congress Party’s interest in Tripura.

Now, father-son duo’s TMC journey will be as ‘real’ opposition or a ‘muted’ opposition to help Manik Sarkar politically, only time can tell.

Mamata Banerjee’s  thumping election win in West Bengal is likely to impact the Tripura assembly election scheduled to be held on 2018.