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Time of India
18-05-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
TMC, BJP focus on North Bengal as 2026 poll battle heats up
Kolkata: With an eye towards the West Bengal Assembly election in 2026, BJP and Trinamool Congress-both the political parties are trying to strengthen their positions in North Bengal. To boost Trinamool Congress's presence in North Bengal, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee will be on a three-day visit starting from May 19. Meanwhile, LoP Suvendu Adhikari will also visit North Bengal's Banarhat, following switch over by former Union Minister John Barla, which will impact the tea garden vote bank, from BJP to Trinamool Congress. The Bengal Chief Minister will participate in an administrative review meeting with officials of all district administrations, district officials from Darjeeling, Kalimpong, Jalpaiguri, Alipurduar, and Coochbehar. She will also take part in a Synergy Business conference on Tuesday in Oldabari. Former BJP Union Minister and tea-belt heavyweight leader John Barla last Thursday joined Trinamool Congress, weakening BJP's strength in the tea garden belt of North Bengal. After the exodus of around 10 BJP MLAs since 2021, Barla leaving BJP was a jolt to the party ahead of 2026 polls, especially in the tea belt region of North Bengal, which had swayed towards the saffron party from 2019 Lok sabha polls, 2021 assembly and 2024 Lok Sabha polls. Barla had a substantial hold on tea garden belts of Alipurduar and was MP from the Alipurduar seat. He became junior minister in the Modi cabinet allso. However, he was not given a ticket in 2024 Lok Sabha polls and in 2024, Manoj Tigga contested and won from the seat, widening the breach between BJP and Barla. Meanwhile, a recent reshuffle was conducted by Trinamool Congress leadership in the organizational framework in Birbhum. Trinamool Congress Supremo has assigned responsibility to conduct election and other related work to a Core-Committee, which will look into the coming 2026 elections in Birbhum, with senior leader Asish Banerjee as the Chairperson. Until recently, the Core Committee was monitored by West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. Anubrata Mondal, the heavyweight leader of Trinamool COngress, who was Birbhum District President, has been removed from the post and no one is heading the post as of now. Mondal was arrested by ED and returned to his home in Birbhum district's Bolpur town in September last year with his daughter, Sukanya, after both were granted bail by the courts in Delhi in cases related to cattle smuggling. Live Events Asish Banerjee held a Core Committee meeting today in Birbhum, while former President Anubrata Mondal was recently removed, during a reshuffle. "It has been decided in the Core Committee Meeting, several political programmes will be organized from May 25-27," Asish Banerjee said. "We have urged the party workers that they should exercise restraint while writing anything on social media. It has been decided that stern action will be taken against those who violate such rules," Asish Banerjee said. Economic Times WhatsApp channel )
Indian Express
16-05-2025
- Politics
- Indian Express
Raring to make a comeback in north Bengal, its Achilles heel, TMC brings in a former BJP MP: Who is John Barla?
In its decade-plus time governing West Bengal, if there is a region that has been the Trinamool Congress's ITMC) spot of weakness, it is North Bengal. After getting swept in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, the party made a modicum of comeback in the region in the 2021 Assembly polls and the parliamentary elections last year. The TMC's chances in north Bengal received a shot in the arm on Thursday, a year before the battle for Bengal, after former BJP MP from Alipurduars John Barla joined the party at an event in Kolkata. 'If development work for the people is stopped by the party itself, why should I continue in it?' Barla, a former Union Minister of State for Minority Affairs, asked after joining the party. 'When I became a Union minister, I faced roadblocks every time I tried to work for the people. The party leadership repeatedly stopped me.' Barla said he wanted to build a Rs 160 crore hospital and all the formalities, including identification of land for the purpose, were completed. 'We just had to sign the MoU, but the present Leader of the Opposition, Suvendu Adhikari, got it blocked. A call went from here to Delhi, and the project was shelved.' Acknowledging that tea garden workers and the tribal population in the Dooars region had backed the BJP, Barla wondered what they received in return. 'I want to thank Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee for giving me a platform where I can actually work for people. I spoke to her a few months ago, and she asked me to come forward and serve the people, which is why I am joining the TMC,' he said. With Barla in its ranks, the TMC will be expected to consolidate its position in the region's tea gardens. Born in a tribal family in the Lakhipara tea garden estate in Jalpaiguri, the 49-year-old started his political career as a representative of tea garden workers in the Dooars region, joining the Akhil Bharatiya Adivasi Vikas Parishad in 2007. As his popularity rose, Barla moved to the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) just as it was gaining ground in its agitation for a separate state of Gorkhaland. However, his time in the Darjeeling Hill-based party was cut short after he faced off against GJM chief Bimal Gurung in 2010 over his demand for a separate state for tribals and other backward communities in the Terai and Dooars regions. Barla's political rise was down to his formidable support base among tea garden workers in north Bengal. His organisational skills drew the attention of the Left Front, which was in power at the time, and Barla and his supporters often backed it several times. By 2011, when the TMC ended three decades of Left rule, Barla came close to the Mamata Banerjee-led party but never officially joined it. The BJP, whose rise in the state began following the 2016 Assembly elections, found in Barla a leader who could help it establish its hold on the region. And before the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, the leader of tea garden workers in the Dooars joined the BJP. He made it big, winning from the Scheduled Tribe-reserved Alipurduars constituency and became a Union MoS. As the TMC stormed back to power in 2021, several BJP leaders in north Bengal, including Barla, sensed a shift and attempted to counter the ruling party by raising the demand for the region to be granted Union Territory status. This, however, put the BJP on a sticky wicket, and the party was forced to distance itself from Barla and these leaders. In the Lok Sabha elections last year, the party dropped Barla and instead fielded Manoj Tigga from Alipurduars. Forsaking @BJP4India's politics of deprivation and embracing Smt. @MamataOfficial's politics of development, Shri @johnbarlabjp joined the Trinamool Congress family. He revealed how every effort he made for his constituents was met with resistance from within his own party. He… — All India Trinamool Congress (@AITCofficial) May 15, 2025 This is when the TMC is believed to have established contact with the disgruntled leader, hoping that having him on its side will help it break the BJP's hold over the tea gardens. 'Barla was in contact with our party after the Lok Sabha elections. He helped us in the Madarihat Assembly bypoll. We won the seat for the first time,' said a senior TMC leader in north Bengal. However, his switch to the party was not a given, and till even last week, BJP leaders were in touch with the former MP and had visited him at his home to convince him to stay. However, Barla, it is said, had made up his mind. 'We lost all the Lok Sabha seats to the BJP in 2019. In 2021, we recovered some ground, but our position was still vulnerable. With Barla on our side, we stand a great chance among the Adivasis and in the tea gardens,' said a party leader. The TMC had managed to shrug off its poor show of 2019 by winning 23 of the 54 Assembly seats in the region — its tally later went up to 26 after bypoll wins and Alipurduars MLA Suman Kanjilal also joined it — while the BJP won the rest. This improvement did not reflect in the TMC's performance in the Lok Sabha polls, however, as the party managed to win only Coochbehar by unseating Nisith Pramanik. The TMC has its task cut out in North Bengal, especially in the tea gardens, as the Mamata Banerjee government's decision to divert 30% of tea garden land for commercial purposes on a freehold basis rather than leasehold has not gone down well with locals and political organisations representing tea garden workers. This is where Barla will be expected to help the party mitigate any political damage. 'Mamata Banerjee will use him in our state committee, and he will also be given organisational responsibility of the tea gardens. He increases our organisational strength in the tea belt,' said TMC state president Subrata Bakshi. Hitting out at his former party colleague, Suvendu Adhikari said, 'The former MP is talking as per the script the TMC's strategists have prepared. In the last year, he kept talking to the ruling party even as he remained in touch with me over the phone. It is not my responsibility to answer his allegations.' Atri Mitra is a Special Correspondent of The Indian Express with more than 20 years of experience in reporting from West Bengal, Bihar and the North-East. He has been covering administration and political news for more than ten years and has a keen interest in political development in West Bengal. Atri holds a Master degree in Economics from Rabindrabharati University and Bachelor's degree from Calcutta University. He is also an alumnus of St. Xavier's, Kolkata and Ramakrishna Mission Asrama, Narendrapur. He started his career with leading vernacular daily the Anandabazar Patrika, and worked there for more than fifteen years. He worked as Bihar correspondent for more than three years for Anandabazar Patrika. He covered the 2009 Lok Sabha election and 2010 assembly elections. He also worked with News18-Bangla and covered the Bihar Lok Sabha election in 2019. ... Read More
Time of India
15-05-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Former Union min Barla joins TMC, slams Suvendu for ‘obstruction' bids
Kolkata: Former junior Union minority affairs minister John Barla on Thursday quit BJP to join Trinamool Congress . The north Bengal neta attacked Bengal leader of the opposition Suvendu Adhikari for obstructing his work for the benefit of the region, including setting up a 1,000-bed hospital. Barla had distanced himself from BJP after he was denied a ticket in the 2024 Lok Sabha. He had joined BJP ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, and won the Alipurduar LS seat. He was rewarded with a ministerial berth shortly after the 2021 assembly polls. Barla, flanked by TMC state president Subrata Bakshi and state power minister Aroop Biswas, told reporters on Thursday: "I am joining TMC because I want to work for the people. Before 2014, there was no one to raise a BJP flag. I helped the party win, but we have not been able to serve people. While Rs 1,000 crore was approved by Centre for the welfare of tea workers, we never received the funds. All BJP does is blame state govt, refusing to act itself. " Barla added, "I don't want to participate in politics where I am obstructed at every step. I wanted to build a hospital with Rs 160 crore in collaboration with the railways but faced opposition from my own party. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Fastest Selling Plots of Mysore from 40L | 40+ Amenities PurpleBrick Learn More Undo I couldn't accomplish anything in the region due to constant interference from Suvendu Adhikari. He wrote a letter to Centre to stop funds." "Suvendu wants to push others aside to get ahead, he aims to become the CM himself," Barla went on to say and accused BJP of betraying the people of north Bengal and trying to hit communal harmony in the state. Barla thanked CM Mamata Banerjee for the respect she showed him. "Didi called me many times. I told her I want to work for my constituency, and that's why I'm here. I have some pain in my heart, which I will share with you all someday... Adivasis are not allowed to speak. We do not get respect," he said. "I thank the CM for providing land lease here. Tribal status has been granted here. In Assam and many other places where there is a double-engine govt, tribal status has not been granted to tea workers. There are 1 crore adivasis in Assam, and they haven't received tribal status," Barla added. Reacting to Barla's decision to join TMC, BJP Rajya Sabha MP Samik Bhattacharya said: "People are aware of the development done by TMC, especially in North Bengal. John Barla had tried to score an own goal but failed... Manoj Tigga got elected from Alipurduar. May Barla be well and happy. If he contests against BJP in the assembly, we will send him on a break to keep him happy for a longer time." Bhattacharya added, "Adhikari is a natural leader and attacking him only means he is very relevant."
Economic Times
15-05-2025
- Politics
- Economic Times
West Bengal: Ex-BJP leader John Barla joins TMC ahead of 2026 elections
In a significant political shift ahead of the 2026 assembly polls, former BJP Union Minister John Barla joined Trinamool Congress, expressing gratitude to Mamata Banerjee for the opportunity to serve the people of West Bengal. Barla cited obstacles within the BJP, including the alleged obstruction of a hospital project by Suvendu Adhikari, as reasons for his departure. Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Former BJP Union Minister and tea-belt heavyweight leader John Barla on Thursday joined Trinamool Congress, thanking Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee for giving him the opportunity to work for the people of the the exodus of around 10 BJP MLAs since 2021, Barla leaving BJP is a jolt to the party ahead of 2026 assembly polls, especially in the tea belt of North has control over the tea garden belt of North Bengal, especially in Bakshi, a senior Trinamool Congress leader, said, 'After Barla's inclusion in our party, our tea garden belt- level organization will be strengthened. It is a right decision by Mamata Banerjee to take him in the party.''I want to thank Didi for giving me the opportunity to work for the people in the tea garden. The tribal status to the tea garden workers has been given to West Bengal. In Assam, where a double engine government exists, it is yet to be done. Mamata Banerjee's Duare Sarkar, Lakshmir Bhandar and other social welfare schemes have benefited the people in the tea gardens,' Barla claimed and mentioned that he had faced multiple obstacles in BJP and failed to do his duty despite being a public representative.'Around 6-7 months of discussions were going on and Didi called me to work for people. I have worked for tea gardens as a Union Minister but I faced obstacles. I wanted to build a hospital but despite receiving full funds, LoP leader Suvendu Adhikari prevented it. It was 100% funding from the Centre and Railway had given go ahead for land,' Barla claimed, after joining Trinamool Adhikari for his role, Barla said, 'I wanted to make a Rs 160 crore hospital, but Adhikari blocked it. We were about to sign the MoU. But a call came from here to the ministry and the work was stopped. If development work is stopped by a party, who can work like this? Why should I be part of that party? Tea garden workers had blessed the BJP but what did they get in return?"Trinamool Congress is targeting the tea-belt of North Bengal which had voted BJP in previous Lok Sabha polls in 2019 and 2024 and also 2021 assembly polls. Barla's inclusion in Trinamool will help to penetrate in the tribal and tea-belt vote bank in 2026 assembly polls."I want to thank Mamata Banerjee, who worked for the tea gardens with schemes like Cha Sundari. Getting pattas (deeds) was a long-standing demand of the region since the Adivasi movement of 2007… In the coming days, I will surely talk to Didi about the other issues of the tea gardens. I will hold a discussion with her," Barla added.
Time of India
15-05-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
West Bengal: Ex-BJP leader John Barla joins TMC ahead of 2026 elections
In a significant political shift ahead of the 2026 assembly polls, former BJP Union Minister John Barla joined Trinamool Congress, expressing gratitude to Mamata Banerjee for the opportunity to serve the people of West Bengal. Barla cited obstacles within the BJP, including the alleged obstruction of a hospital project by Suvendu Adhikari, as reasons for his departure. Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Former BJP Union Minister and tea-belt heavyweight leader John Barla on Thursday joined Trinamool Congress, thanking Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee for giving him the opportunity to work for the people of the the exodus of around 10 BJP MLAs since 2021, Barla leaving BJP is a jolt to the party ahead of 2026 assembly polls, especially in the tea belt of North has control over the tea garden belt of North Bengal, especially in Bakshi, a senior Trinamool Congress leader, said, 'After Barla's inclusion in our party, our tea garden belt- level organization will be strengthened. It is a right decision by Mamata Banerjee to take him in the party.''I want to thank Didi for giving me the opportunity to work for the people in the tea garden. The tribal status to the tea garden workers has been given to West Bengal. In Assam, where a double engine government exists, it is yet to be done. Mamata Banerjee's Duare Sarkar, Lakshmir Bhandar and other social welfare schemes have benefited the people in the tea gardens,' Barla claimed and mentioned that he had faced multiple obstacles in BJP and failed to do his duty despite being a public representative.'Around 6-7 months of discussions were going on and Didi called me to work for people. I have worked for tea gardens as a Union Minister but I faced obstacles. I wanted to build a hospital but despite receiving full funds, LoP leader Suvendu Adhikari prevented it. It was 100% funding from the Centre and Railway had given go ahead for land,' Barla claimed, after joining Trinamool Adhikari for his role, Barla said, 'I wanted to make a Rs 160 crore hospital, but Adhikari blocked it. We were about to sign the MoU. But a call came from here to the ministry and the work was stopped. If development work is stopped by a party, who can work like this? Why should I be part of that party? Tea garden workers had blessed the BJP but what did they get in return?"Trinamool Congress is targeting the tea-belt of North Bengal which had voted BJP in previous Lok Sabha polls in 2019 and 2024 and also 2021 assembly polls. Barla's inclusion in Trinamool will help to penetrate in the tribal and tea-belt vote bank in 2026 assembly polls."I want to thank Mamata Banerjee, who worked for the tea gardens with schemes like Cha Sundari. Getting pattas (deeds) was a long-standing demand of the region since the Adivasi movement of 2007… In the coming days, I will surely talk to Didi about the other issues of the tea gardens. I will hold a discussion with her," Barla added.
