More Tripura Congress leaders quit over alliance with Left

Agartala: Several Tripura Congress leaders on Sunday quit their party posts to protest against the party's tie-up with the Left in West Bengal's assembly polls.

Tripura state women Congress president Kalyani Roy and Congress Scheduled Caste wing chief and former minister Prakash Das and two vice presidents of the women cell also resigned from their party posts.

Roy, also a senior lawyer, said: "The Congress alliance with CPI-M (Communist Party of India-Marxist) in West Bengal is not based on any principle or ideology. This is an opportunistic electoral tactic.

"We have sent our resignation letters to our party headquarters in Delhi," Roy told reporters, adding that Congressmen in Tripura were frustrated after the party tied up with the Left in Bengal.

Congress Legislature Party leader Sudip Roy Barman, Tripura Congress working president Ashish Saha and state Youth Congress president Sushanta Chowdhury had quit their party posts on the same issue.

The Congress has issued a show-cause notice to Barman for publicly making critical comments against the party's central leadership.

Congress general secretary V. Narayanasamy has threatened disciplinary action against Barman if he failed to explain his position within a fortnight. Barman has justified his stand.

Informed sources said the disgruntled Tripura Congress leaders might form a new party or join the Bharatiya Janata Party or Trinamool Congress.