No plans at the moment, says BJP’s John Barla on buzz about joining TMC

KOLKATA: West Bengal Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader John Barla on Thursday took a veiled swipe at the party’s Alipurduar MP for mismanaging the organisation ahead of the November 13 bypoll but countered speculation that he was about to cross over to the state’s ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC), saying he had no such plans at the moment.
Barla, a former union minister, has been unhappy for months over the party’s decision to field Manoj Tigga for the Lok Sabha elections from the Alipurduar seat in north Bengal rather than repeat him. Barla represented Alipurduar in the Lok Sabha between 2019 and 2024.
But the buzz about his possible exit picked up on Wednesday after he was spotted exchanging pleasantries with Jay Prakash Toppo, the TMC candidate from the Madarihat assembly seat, for the November 13 bypoll.
Barla has adopted a hands-off approach to the bypoll. “I am staying aloof these days because my party has completely mismanaged its organisation in this region. Everything is being controlled by one man these days. I am concentrating on tribal welfare issues, something I was always associated with,” Barla said, indirectly targeting Tigga.
Asked if he plans to join the TMC, Barla said: “There are no such plans at the moment. I was travelling when I heard that the TMC candidate was having tea at a local cafe. He is like my brother. I stopped by and exchanged pleasantries.”
The TMC has not commented on Barla. A local TMC leader, Dwipen Pramanik, did visit Barla at home on Monday evening. “I have known Pramanik for a long time. It was a courtesy call,” Barla said.
BJP leaders confirmed that Barla was not campaigning for Rahul Lohar, the BJP candidate from Madarihat.
Bengal BJP’s chief spokesperson Samik Bhattacharya said: “In the BJP, individuals are never more important than the organisation. We are keeping a watch on the developments.”
Madarihat is one of the seven assembly segments that constitute the Alipurduar Lok Sabha seat. The Madarihat seat fell vacant this year after Manoj Tigga, a two-time MLA, quit following his election to the Lok Sabha.