GUWAHATI: Tripur BJP chief and recently- elected Rajya Sabha member Manik Saha will be the state’s next chief minister. He was elected the BJP legislature party leader on Saturday, hours after Biplab Kumar Deb’s resignation from the post. The shake-up comes months ahead of elections in the state. Saha, a 67-year-old dentistturned- politician, was elected to Rajya Sabha on March 31.
He took over as the state BJP chief last year. BJP sources said a section of ministers and MLAs had been livid with Deb for the past two years for his alleged autocratic style of functioning. He allegedly gave them no freedom to take decisions independently. The problem started in 2019 when he sacked health minister Sudip Roy Barman. Barman was the first to raise the banner of revolt along with 8-10 MLAs. They had met the central leaders several times to complain against Deb.
In due course, three MLAs ditched the BJP with Barman returning to the Congress. Several other MLAs had also petitioned the central leadership against Deb. BJP sources said the central leadership was not happy over the manner in which Deb was running the government that saw people starting to repose their faith again on the Left and the Trinamool Congress.
During his first two years as CM, Deb had embarrassed the BJP with his bizarre remarks. In 2018, he had set tongues wagging by claiming that Internet and satellite existed since the time of the Mahabharata and that ducks raise the level of oxygen in water bodies when they swim. He had also said that only civil engineers should sit for civil services exams.
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