Hectic discussions for patch-up in Tripura BJP unit

Dissidents demand replacement of State president Manik Saha, expansion of Cabinet.

BJP’s national organisation general secretary B.L. Santhosh, who arrived in Agartala on Wednesday, held hectic discussions with a cross section of leaders reportedly to work out a reconciliation between official and rebel groups. He held a closed door one-to-one meeting at the party headquarters with several leaders to understand the differences and repair the cracks, highly placed sources in the party said. Senior leaders like Ajay Jamwal and Phanindra Nath Sharma, who also arrived to oversee organisation matters, did not join the meetings Mr. Santhosh had with MPs Pratima Bhowmik and Rebati Tripura, Deputy Chief Minister Jishnu Debbarman and dissident MLAs. Tripura BJP in-charge Vinod Kumar Sonkar, who was also to arrive here, had to cancel his trip owing to a family matter. After several months, dissident MLAs like Sudip Roy Barman, Ram Prasad Paul, Ashish Das, Sushanta Choudhury and Ashish Kumar Saha went to the party office to meet Mr. Santhosh. Sources said he met the Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb, Deputy Chief Minister, two MPs, four Ministers and the MLAs who were called in six separate groups.