Speculations about former BJP Union minister John Barla possibly joining the Trinamool Congress (TMC) gained momentum on Thursday when he attended an administrative programme with West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee at Kalchini in Alipurduar district.
Barla said he had received an invitation from the state government to attend the event. On being asked by the reporters at the Bagdogra airport on Wednesday if he would be joining the TMC, the 49-year-old said, “That’s something for the future. I will hold discussions and decide what to do.”
Barla, a controversial politician who had repeatedly advocated for the separation of North Bengal from West Bengal to form a new state, on Wednesday had expressed his willingness to work with CM Banerjee.
He shared the stage with the chief minister during Thursday's event, held to commemorate Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose’s 128th birth anniversary and felicitate beneficiaries of state welfare schemes.
The BJP had chosen not to renominate former Alipurduars MP John Barla for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, reportedly due to his controversial statements and political underperformance. Instead, the party fielded Manoj Tigga, who successfully secured the Alipurduars seat.
Since then, Barla has stayed on the political sidelines, remaining largely inactive. However, he has repeatedly criticised the Bengal BJP leadership for allegedly neglecting North Bengal, despite winning elections in the region. He claimed that North Bengal leaders were excluded from key positions and party committees.
“Tea workers have blessed the BJP which got lakhs of votes here. But there is no development. I wanted to work but I couldn't. I also did not get enough respect,” Barla said. “Development is the issue. Thus, when the state’s chief minister has invited me, it’s important that we sit together for this region’s development.”
Barla, a prominent tribal leader in the tea belt of Alipurduar district, has a history of shifting political allegiances, supporting the Left Front before 2011 and later working with the TMC under Mamata Banerjee. He joined the BJP ahead of Lok Sabha elections in 2019.
Meanwhile, West Bengal leader of opposition (LoP) Suvendu Adhikari claimed that Barla was not a member of the saffron party anymore.