If development is halted, why should I work in such party: John Barla
The Statesman | 17 May 2025
The Trinamul Congress posted on its official X-handle: “We’re happy to welcome former BJP MP and ex-Union Minister Shri John Barla to the Trinamul Congress family.
“He joined the party in the presence of West Bengal State President Shri Subrata Bakshi and Shri Aroop Biswas.
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“With his experience and grassroots connect, especially in Alipurduar and among tea garden workers, we are confident he will play a meaningful role in strengthening our fight for people’s rights.
The former BJP MP had developed distances with the party after he was denied a ticket for the Lok Sabha in 2024.
Speaking at Trinamul Bhavan after his joining, Mr Barla Said, “I want to thank CM Mamata Banerjee for giving me a chance to work for our people. I want to tell people today why I am joining TMC. Talks have been on for a few months. I spoke to Didi, who too asked me to work for the people…When I became the minister, I would always face roadblocks when I wanted to work for the people. People blessed me to work for them but the party leaders themselves stopped me from doing it. I wanted to make a Rs 160 crore hospital but present LoP Suvendu Adhikari blocked it. All work was done and the land was identified. We just had to sign the MoU. But a call went 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 a party that stops work for the people? Tea garden workers had blessed the BJP but what did they get in return?”
Talking on the issue of pattas in the tea belt, the former MP said, “I want to thank CM Mamata Banerjee. She has done so much work for the tea gardens with schemes like Cha Sundari. Getting pattas (deeds) was a long-standing demand of the region since the Adivasi andolan of 2007. But today, we have finally got it. This is a big thing for all the Adivasis. There are 8 lakh tea garden workers in double-engine Assam. Despite this, the “double-engine government” has not given an inch of land there. I want to thank Didi. Even if it is five decimal, at least we got the land in the tea garden. Unlike the double-engine State, Assam, that has 8 lakh workers, we have 4 lakh workers and yet we got so much….There are 1 crore Adivasis in Assam. But thanks to Mamata Banerjee for giving an appropriate status to the Tribal community. On the contrary, Adivasis are yet to get recognition in Assam. Amid this, how will I have faith that if there is a double-engine government here, they will work for us? Didi on the other hand, has done so much for us, from Duare Sarkar to Lakshmir Bhandar. So many tea garden workers are benefitting from this. In the coming days, I will surely talk to Didi about the other issues of the tea gardens. I will speak to her and we will work it out.”