Tripura Congress on Wednesday suspended its working president Billal Mia amid speculations of him switching sides and joining the ruling BJP. A leader of the Grand Old Party while talking about this said that Mia was expelled for his anti-party activities. Before his expulsion, senior Tripura ministers Ratan Lal Nath and Sushanta Chowdhury met him at his residence in Sonamura's Sepahijala district. Tripura Congress president Asish Kumar Saha confirmed the development and said Miah has been ousted for six years.
“Billal Miah, Ex-Minister, is hereby expelled from the primary membership of Indian National Congress for a period of six years with immediate effect for his anti-party activities,” reads a press communique released Wednesday signed by Saha.
The expelled Congress leader addressed a letter to the party's national president Mallikarjun Kharge in which he wrote, “The Indian National Congress was my home for the last 44 years and during this period, I have served the party in various capacities. At present, I am the working president of TPCC. With immediate effect, I hereby resign from all the party posts of INC along with primary membership."
Tripura Pradesh Congress Committee president Asish Kumar Saha expelled Mia, who was the party's face in front of the minority voters in the Sonamura subdivision where by-elections to two assembly constituencies are slated to take place this year on September 5, reported PTI.
Mia in the past has served as a state minister as well.
Tripura Chief Minister Manik Saha and BJP's state president Rajib Bhattacharjee are expected to attend a mega joining programme on Thursday at Kulubari under Boxanagar Assembly constituency. A senior BJP leader while talking about the programme said that the expelled leader Mia along with hundreds of Congress workers is likely to join the BJP in the presence of the chief minister and the state party president ahead of the aforementioned by-polls.
The bypolls, scheduled on September 5, were necessitated due to the death of CPI(M) MLA Samsul Haque in Boxanagar constituency and the resignation of Union Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment Pratima Bhowmik from the Dhanpur seat. Bhowmik resigned to retain her Member of Parliament seat.