AGARTALA, June 8 (TIWN): Trinamool Congress all set to become the main opposition party replacing decimated Congress in Tripura, already six Congress MLAs have joined TMC without leaving their MLA posts under Congress banner. Sudip Barman on Tuesday declared after Press meet that, “You can consider me as the Trinamool MLA now’ - reacting his comment PCC Chief called Sudip Roy Barman and his TMC party as shameless ‘Opportunists’ who has split his own Party, Barman family forgot all recognitions, political benefits from Congress Party since four decades. ‘Like a ladder they used Congress, but didn’t leave their lust for power’, added frustrated Birajit Sinha.Tripura Congress President Birajit Sinha, on Wednesday while talking to TIWN said, ‘Sudip & Co. Assembly membership will also eventually go and people will reject treacherous Barman group led TMC in 2018 Assembly election’.About Congress MLA Jitendra Sarkar's jump to CPI-M, Sinha said, “Although Jitendra Sarkar has left Congress party but he also left his MLA membership, which is much fair conscience then Sudip Barman's TMC activity, as they got MLA seats under Congress umbrella’', added Sinha.

As Sudip Barman and 5 Congress MLAs left Congress party (amongst 9 Congress MLAs in total in Tripura Congress), so TMC (Sudip-group) are the Majority now.

Now there are only 2 MLAs left in Congress who are Gopal Roy and Birajit Sinha, as another Jitendra Sarkar also left the party to join CPI-M. As a result, the 6 MLAs will be considered as the TMC MLAs now.

As per the law, if a person leaves party, automatically his MLA post forfeited, but when a major part of the same political group like 6 MLAs switch parties and only few of them remain in party like 3 MLAs in Congress then it saves from anti-defection law.

Birjit Sinha said, ‘But the 6 persons have not resigned from their MLA posts to secure their position in Assembly, which is nothing but an opportunistic attitude’.

‘He added, “Changing party is few people’s habit and they will keep on changing and functioning like CPI-M's B team’.

“They will leave party in its bad time and will join another party which is in power and same back-stabbing was done by 6 Congress MLAs, which almost devastated Congress in Tripura’, said Sinha.

Asking about his thinking in leaving Congress, Sinha said, “I and dedicated to Congress  Party and I will be in Congress forever.

Sometimes high-command decisions like Bengal CPM-Congress pre-poll adjustments  go against our will which we have to follow, as its party’s decision , but only hungry people leave party like Sudip Barman & company.'

Sudip Roy Barman was the President of Tripura Pradesh Congress in 2013 under whom the assembly election was fought.

Under his leadership the party managed to get only 10 seats, lowest in 25 years. Immediately after the result was declared, he pulled all muscle to get the position of Leader of Opposition in the State Assembly which comes with perks as that position guarantees a Cabinet Minister’s equivalent facilities.

Many believe that Sudip should have put more efforts in strengthening the party rather than taking the ‘lucrative’ position.

In any case the Leader of Opposition in the earlier Assembly had shown a staler performance and the same leader won the election again. Barman’s performance in Assembly could not match his predecessor’s ability in and outside the Assembly.

Congress lost the power in the state in 1993, and since then has never come to power.

The last Congress Chief Minister was Samir Ranjan Barman, then the father of Sudip after causing instability to Congress Party.

Sudip Barman has been in helm of affairs of the party for significant period of time. The father and son rotated the post of PCC president for 15 long years during which the party never could make in-roads into formidable forts on the Reds-the Communist Party of India (Marxist), particularly in rural areas.

In 2003 assembly election, which Congress fought under the leadership of incumbent President Birajit Sinha, it put up a tough fight against the well-oiled machinery of CPI (M). Sans this election in all other elections which Congress fought under the Sudip Barman, the friction-ridden party could not put a fight except for in some selected seats in and around state capital and some select pocket borough. 

‘They were never Congress, they were just MLAs interested in horse trading and lust for power, doesn’t matter which party they are doing’, said Sinha.