BJP NE in-charges arrive in Tripura after CM's controversial remark on Nepal and Srilanka

Agartala: BJP’s organisational secretary of northeast Ajay Jamwal arrived here last evening along with RSS regional in-charge Ullas Kulkarni, amid controversy triggered by Tripura Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb's statement that Union Home Minister Amit Shah during his stint as BJP's national president had once said though the party had come to power in several states, Nepal and Sri Lanka were still left.

Last night, Jamwal and Kulkarni held discussions with the Chief Minister and met with the party leaders over organisational issues, ongoing squabble between two factions of the party, dissidence against the Chief Minister and infighting among the workers in different parts of the state.

“Jamwal's sudden draws significance as he reached the state without notice a day after official complaints from Nepal and Sri Lanka. Chief Minister's controversial comments has put BJP, especially Union Home Minister Amit Shah on a tight spot. Moreover, while referring to Shah's comments, Biplab mentioned the presence of Jamwal in the discussion on BJP’s expansion plan beyond boundaries,” said a senior leader.

BJP leaders remained unavailable for comments on the party's stand over the issue and the discussion points with Jamwal. Neither Deb nor his party has come out with a clarification over the controversy.

However, a section of Biplab's followers claimed in the social media that he was ‘misinterpreted' by the media as he told the party men about ‘extension of political philosophy of integrated humanism’ in those countries.

The opposition CPM came down heavily. Former Lok Sabha MP from Tripura Jitendra Chowdhury asked, “Had Amit Shah not said anything to his party leaders regarding Nepal and Sri Lanka, which was referred by Tripura CM – wouldn't he deny the statement before the matter went to international community? Even after five days of the statement and formal complaint from the countries in question, neither BJP nor the Central government has taken any action.”He alleged that under Modi’s rule India lost friendship with many neighbours.

India's relation with Nepal and Sri Lanka has been strained in the past one year and needed positive action to even out the differences and maintain the historical relationship with those countries, instead Chief Minister of Tripura is doing the reverse quoting the home minister of the country.

Chowdhury also observed that the Centre should clarify how Modi government made Bangladesh and Bhutan self-reliant (Atmanirbhar) and how the proposed budget for next year would help SAARC countries to be Atmanirbhar, which Biplab Deb claimed in the context of Nepal and Sri Lanka.

Biplab Deb on Feb 13, in attempt to enlighten his party men on the positive outlook of the budget presented by Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, said, “I remember when Amit Shah was the national president of BJP, sometime in 2018, in a meeting in the state guest house, had told Ajay Jamwal that BJP had a long way to go because Nepal and Sri Lanka were still left, when Jamwal expressed satisfaction over BJP’s growth in India.”(UNI)