Kolkata, May 15 BJP leader and former Union Minister of State for Minority Affairs John Barla on Thursday joined the Trinamool Congress.
Barla, who represented Alipurduar constituency from 2019 to 2024, started distancing himself from the BJP since he was denied a ticket in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
The former Union Minister of State for Minority Affairs started cosying up with the Trinamool Congress leadership.
Finally, on Thursday afternoon, he joined Trinamool Congress in the presence of West Bengal Power Minister Arup Biswas, party state president Subrata Bakshi and party state vice-president Jayprakash Majumdar.
"I had telephonic conversations with Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee several times. Then, I expressed my desire to join the Trinamool Congress so that I could get engaged in public service. She had accepted my plea, and I am grateful to her for that," Barla said.
Barla held the Leader of Opposition in the West Bengal Assembly, Suvendu Adhikari, responsible for his decision to quit the BJP.
"When I was the MP from Alipurduar, I wanted to set up a hospital in my constituency in collaboration with the Indian Railways. Even the land for that hospital was also signed. But just before the signing of the memorandum of understanding, the plan got stuck because of objections from Adhikari. He was the one who prevented me from working for the people of my constituency. So, ultimately, I decided to quit the BJP," Barla said.
However, Adhikari refused to respond to Barla's allegations.
"For the last year, Barla had been in constant touch with me personally, just as he claimed that he was in touch with the Chief Minister during the same period. So, I do not feel the necessity of reacting to his allegations," Adhikari said.
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