Agartala, Oct 29 (NationPress) In light of escalating tensions and differing views within the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its ally, the Tipra Motha Party (TMP), a significant closed-door discussion was convened with central observers at the party's state headquarters on Wednesday.

According to party insiders, BJP’s Northeast coordinator and national spokesperson Sambit Patra, along with central observer and former Lok Sabha member Rajdeep Roy, joined senior leaders, ministers, MLAs, and party officials for the meeting.

Patra, a Lok Sabha member from Puri, made a visit to the Gomati district on Tuesday upon arriving in Agartala with Roy, where he paid homage at the historic Tripura Sundari Temple, a revered site among the 51 Shakti Peethas recognized by Hindus.

He also conducted multiple discussions with Chief Minister Manik Saha, state president Rajib Bhattacharjee, and selected leaders, ministers, and MLAs on Tuesday night and Wednesday.

Post-meeting, CM Saha shared on his official X account: “Had a courtesy meeting with Hon’ble MP & Northeast Coordinator of BJP Sambit Patra at my official residence today. We discussed various key organisational issues.”

Following the Wednesday meeting, state Tourism and Transport Minister and BJP leader Sushanta Chowdhury remarked on Facebook: “At the state party headquarters today, BJP national spokesperson and MP Dr. Sambit Patra, state in-charge Dr. Rajdeep Roy, party president Rajib Bhattacharjee, along with my esteemed colleagues from the state council of ministers, MLAs, and senior party functionaries, attended an organisational meeting.”

Chowdhury indicated that the meeting thoroughly explored various upcoming organisational initiatives and activities. Recent developments have placed the ruling BJP in a precarious situation, stirring state politics.

On October 19, the BJP issued a show-cause notice to its sitting MLA, Tafajjal Hossain, for making negative remarks about former Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb and former Union Minister Pratima Bhoumik. The notice indicated that disciplinary action would follow if the MLA’s response was unsatisfactory. During a football match in Boxanagar, Sepahijala district, on October 18, Hossain accused both Deb and Bhoumik of failing to allocate funds for the construction of a playground gallery.

Meanwhile, remarks from Scheduled Castes and Animal Resource Development Minister Sudhangshu Das ignited a political uproar, with opposition parties such as the CPI-M and Congress seizing the opportunity to spotlight the issue.

In a reported interview, the minister allegedly confessed that some leaders are soliciting funds from contractors to support their social work expenses. The video of his interview circulated widely, inciting public outrage. Das later threatened to pursue legal action against a social media content creator and Leader of Opposition Jitendra Chaudhury for criticizing his statements, expressing that he was “embarrassed beyond words.”

In a separate incident, senior BJP leader and former Union Minister Pratima Bhoumik was involved in a heated exchange with police officials near Nailahabari in Dhalai district after her vehicle was halted at a police barricade.

This confrontation highlighted internal divisions within the ruling BJP and raised concerns regarding law enforcement actions following recent violence in Santirbazar in the same district.

Bhoumik sarcastically criticized the state’s law and order situation and the police's role in managing the violent actions of the tribal-based Tipra Motha Party (TMP), which is also a BJP ally. In recent months, a “sweet-and-sour relationship” has persisted between the ruling BJP and TMP.

TMP members have launched a series of attacks across various districts, injuring over 20 BJP members and karyakartas. The TMP-affiliated Tiprasa Civil Society (TCS), led by TMP MLA Ranjit Debbarma, observed a 24-hour statewide shutdown on October 23 to support its eight-point charter of demands, including the expulsion of illegal migrants.

During this shutdown, a faction of TMP activists assaulted several individuals and officials at Santirbazar in Dhalai district, seriously injuring more than 12 people.

Among those injured were Salema Block Development Officer (BDO) Abhijit Majumdar, Kamalpur Sub-Divisional Police Officer (SDPO) Samudra Debbarma, engineer Animesh Saha, and trader Subrata Paul, all of whom are currently hospitalized with severe injuries.

With elections for the politically significant Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council (TTAADC) approaching early next year, both the BJP and TMP are independently striving to enhance their influence within tribal communities.