By Express News Service
GUWAHATI: After dramatically becoming Meghalaya’s principal opposition party through a “political coup” that saw 12 of the 17 Congress MLAs switching their loyalty to it, the Trinamool Congress (TMC) is now trying to make inroads into Nagaland where a coalition of parties, including the BJP, is in power.
Twelve disgruntled BJP leaders from the state are camping in Kolkata and would meet the TMC leadership. Led by a former deputy speaker of the Assembly, they are likely to join the party soon.
Sources in Nagaland BJP said these leaders, who are not sitting MLAs, were unhappy with the style of functioning of a few senior leaders, particularly Deputy Chief Minister Y Patton.
“We know this group of leaders is in Kolkata. They were not happy with the party leadership, particularly the Deputy CM,” a BJP insider told this newspaper.
The insider, who is a senior leader, blamed the party leadership for the Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party (NDPP), which heads the ruling coalition, joining hands with the lone opposition party with elected representatives Naga People’s Front (NPF) a few months ago to make it an “Opposition-less” government despite the coalition having sufficient MLAs.
A section of BJP leaders had allegedly maintained a close rapport with the NPF and this threatened NDPP leader and Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio of being ousted from power. So, he reached an understanding with the NPF and inducted it into the government to nip the alleged design from the BJP leaders to topple his government in the bud.
The cracks within the BJP developed two years ago. The problem continues to linger despite several district presidents flagging the issue at multiple levels in the party. The BJP has 12 MLAs in the 60-member House.
