'Set aside differences, strengthen BJP': Tripura BJP chief Abhishek Debroy ahead of local body polls

With elections to the Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council (TTAADC) Village Committees and urban local bodies approaching, Tripura BJP president Abhishek Debroy has called on party leaders and workers to bury internal differences and work collectively to strengthen the organisation.

Addressing a party programme at Bishalgarh Town Hall in Sepahijala district on July 24, Debroy cautioned that factionalism within the party would only weaken the BJP and urged leaders to prioritise organisational unity over personal rivalries.

Referring to the recent organisational reshuffle in the party, where MLA Sushanta Deb was replaced by Arindam Deb as the BJP Yuva Morcha state president, Debroy dismissed suggestions that the move amounted to sidelining leaders.

"Some may say Sushanta Deb has been sidelined because he is no longer the Yuva Morcha president. The same thing happened to me when I was removed as the Gomati district president. At that time, some people said I had been sidelined. But today I am the state president. Had I not been removed from that post, I would probably not have become the state president," he said.

Describing the BJP as an organisation that provides opportunities through different responsibilities, Debroy said changes in organisational roles should not be viewed negatively but as part of the party's growth strategy.

The state BJP chief also issued a strong warning against the emergence of camps within the party, making it clear that he would not favour any particular faction.

"I have been entrusted with the responsibility of leading the state unit for the next three years. If we want to strengthen the organisation, leaders and karyakartas must set aside their differences," he said.

Acknowledging that disagreements exist in every political organisation, Debroy stressed that such issues must be minimised in the interest of the party. He pointed out that in some places, rivalry between incumbent and former mandal presidents was affecting organisational functioning.

"Problems exist everywhere, but we have to minimise them. In some places, the incumbent mandal president is engaged in rivalry with his predecessor, which is not healthy. If someone suffers within the organisation because of internal feuds, nothing can be done," he added.

Debroy's remarks come as the BJP intensifies preparations for the upcoming elections to the Village Committees under the TTAADC and urban local bodies, including the Agartala Municipal Corporation (AMC), with the party focusing on organisational cohesion ahead of the crucial polls.