BJP faces internal rift in Alipurduar as 27 refugee cell members resign

Alipurduar: Cracks have emerged within the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Alipurduar district ahead of the Assembly elections, with 27 members of the party’s district refugee cell resigning on Sunday. The members have accused outgoing Falakata MLA and state vice-president Dipak Barman of failing to work for

refugee welfare over the past five years.

The disgruntled members alleged that Dipak Barman neither took initiatives for refugee development nor attended meetings convened by the district refugee cell. Expressing dissatisfaction over his alleged inaction, they submitted their resignation letters to Babulal Bala, the convenor of the BJP’s North Bengal refugee cell and a professor at Raiganj University.

The resignations were formally announced at a press conference held in Falakata. Addressing the media, district refugee cell convenor Shubhankar Bir launched a scathing attack on the party leader, stating: “Dipak Barman is anti-refugee. We do not accept him. He does not pay attention to our concerns, which is why we have decided to resign.”

However, Dipak Barman has rejected all the allegations levelled against him. Dismissing the claims, he asserted: “People are with us, and this will be reflected in the election results.”