Agartala, Oct 22: Senior BJP leader and state general secretary Bipin Debbarma, along with MDC Sanjib Reang, was stranded for over an hour on Wednesday after a road blockade was staged near Jayanagar ADC village in Khumulwang under West Tripura district.
The leaders were en route to a party joining programme at Takarjala, where Chief Minister Manik Saha and state BJP president Rajib Bhattacharjee were present. Hundreds of BJP supporters heading to the event were also stuck due to the blockade, which caused significant disruption to traffic in the area.
Party sources alleged that activists of the Tipra Motha Party (TMP) were behind the blockade, which they claimed was an attempt to prevent BJP workers from reaching the programme. “The road was blocked for more than an hour. They did not attack us but tried to disrupt our journey to the event where a large number of people were set to join the BJP,” said Debbarma.
He said senior police officials, including the Superintendent of Police of West Tripura, were informed immediately after the incident. “The police intervened and cleared the road. Around 150 BJP workers were held up along with us. Once the blockade was lifted, we reached the venue without further trouble,” Debbarma added.
Police officials, however, refrained from commenting on whether any case had been registered in connection with the blockade.
Although the BJP and Tipra Motha are alliance partners in the state, tensions between the two parties persist. Clashes between their supporters have frequently been reported in tribal-dominated areas over local political influence and organisational control, reflecting ongoing strain within the alliance.
