Ex-BJP minister John Barla switches to TMC, says tribal development efforts were blocked

With assembly polls due in West Bengal next year (2025), former union minister and ex-MP John Barla on Thursday, 15 May, has joined the Trinamool Congress, alleging that the saffron party leadership repeatedly blocked his attempts to work for the welfare of tribal people and tea garden workers.

The TMC said Barla switching sides would strengthen the organisation in the tea gardens of north Bengal, while the BJP asserted that his defection would have no impact on the party.

Barla, who was elected to the Lok Sabha in 2019 on a BJP ticket from the Alipurduars (ST) seat and served as minister of state for minority affairs, had been openly critical of the party after being denied a ticket for the 2024 general elections.

The BJP had fielded the party's legislative chief whip, Manoj Tigga, in his place. Tigga went on to win the seat, which has a large population of tea garden workers and tribal communities.

Since then, Barla had distanced himself from the BJP's Bengal leadership, fuelling speculation about a possible switch.

On Thursday, he formally joined the TMC in Kolkata in the presence of senior leaders Subrata Bakshi and Aroop Biswas.

"If development work for the people is stopped by the party itself, why should I continue in it?" Barla said after joining the Mamata Banerjee-led party here.

"When I became a Union minister, I faced roadblocks every time I tried to work for the people. The party leadership repeatedly stopped me," he claimed.

Barla said he wanted to build a Rs 160 crore hospital and all formalities, including identification of land for the purpose, were completed.

"We just had to sign the MoU, but the present Leader of the Opposition Suvendu Adhikari got it blocked. A call went from here to Delhi and the project was shelved," he claimed.

Noting that tea garden workers and the tribal population had blessed the BJP, he wondered what they got in return.

"I want to thank Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee for giving me a platform where I can actually work for the people. I spoke to her a few months ago and she asked me to come forward and serve the people, which is why I am joining TMC," he said.

In response to the allegations, Adhikari said, "After switching sides, the former MP is now speaking according to the script prepared by (TMC's political consultancy agency) I-PAC. Over the past year, while he was in constant touch with the ruling party, he also maintained regular personal contact with me. So, I do not consider it my responsibility to respond to the accusations made by him."

The Trinamool Congress welcomed the former BJP MP to the party.

"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 TMC said in a post on X.

We’re happy to welcome former BJP MP and ex Union Minister Shri John Barla to the Trinamool Congress family.

He joined the party in the presence of West Bengal State President Shri Subrata Bakshi and Shri Aroop Biswas.

With his experience and grassroots connect, especially in…

— All India Trinamool Congress (@AITCofficial) May 15, 2025

TMC state president Subrata Bakshi said, "Mamata Banerjee will include him in our state committee, and he will also be given organisational responsibility for the tea gardens. He will strengthen our party's base in the tea belt."

BJP MP Samik Bhattacharya, however, said Barla's defection will not have any impact on the party or its electoral prospects.

Barla's fallout with the BJP is believed to have contributed to the party's poor performance in the region.

Differences between him and Manoj Tigga over candidate selection reportedly impacted the BJP's prospects in the Madarihat assembly bypoll held last year, which the TMC won.

Barla had earlier courted controversy in 202–-22 when he, along with some BJP legislators, demanded that a union territory be carved out of the districts in the northern part of West Bengal.

The move was criticised by the TMC, which had accused the BJP of trying to divide the state.

According to political observers, Barla's induction in TMC is aimed at strengthening the party's organisation in the tea gardens.

In the 2019 Lok Sabha and 2021 assembly elections, the BJP had significantly expanded its influence in the tea garden areas.

However, following the BJP's defeat in the 2021 Assembly polls, the ruling Trinamool launched a counter-offensive to reclaim lost ground.

During this phase, the party bolstered its presence in the tea belt through its labour wing, the Indian National Trinamool Trade Union Congress, using trade union outreach as a political tool.

It was against this backdrop that BJP's MLA from Alipurduar Suman Kanjilal too switched sides and joined the TMC in 2021.

The party also clinched a victory in the Madarihat assembly by-election in 2024 through its candidate Jayaprakash Toppo.

In this context, the defection of Barla to the TMC could be a major blow to the BJP in north Bengal's tea garden belt, political observer Biswanath Chakraborty said.