Kolkata/Alipurduar: Accusing the BJP of consistently obstructing efforts to improve the welfare of tribal communities, former Union minister and ex-BJP MP from Alipurduar, John Barla—who commands a strong base in the tea gardens of the Dooars—joined the Trinamool Congress (TMC) on Thursday, delivering a significant blow to the saffron party and signaling a major political shift in the region.
Barla, a prominent political figure in the north Bengal region, had notably distanced himself from the BJP for a year, fueling rumors about his possible switch.
After joining TMC, he alleged that the BJP repeatedly blocked his attempts to work for the welfare of tribal people and tea garden workers. He accused Opposition leader Suvendu Adhikari of obstructing a project intended for the establishment of a hospital. He also claimed that he aimed to construct a Rs 160 crore hospital and that all necessary formalities, including the identification of land for the project, had been 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 told reporters after joining TMC.
He said that tribal people and tea garden workers had voted for BJP but they did not get anything in return. He said that the Mamata Banerjee government has carried out a host of development schemes for the people.
“If development work for the people is stopped by the party itself, why should I continue in it?” Barla said after joining the ruling party in Bengal in presence of senior leaders Subrata Bakshi and Aroop Biswas. “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. The Trinamool Congress welcomed the former BJP MP to the party. Barla, who was elected to the Lok Sabha in 2019 on a BJP ticket 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.
Barla further stated: “CM Banerjee has done so much work for the tea gardens with schemes like Cha Sundari. Getting pattas (land 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. Unlike the double-engine State, Assam, that has 8 lakh workers, we have 4 lakh workers and yet we got so much. CM has done so much for us, from Duare Sarkar to Lakshmir Bhandar. So many tea garden workers are benefitting from this.”
Barla had not been renominated by the BJP for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. In 2019, he had defeated TMC’s Dashrath Tirkey by a massive margin of 2,35,603 votes. Following that, the BJP swept all seven assembly segments under the Alipurduar Lok Sabha constituency in the 2021 state elections, largely credited to Barla’s influence among tea garden workers.
However, ahead of the 2024 elections, the BJP fielded Manoj Tigga as its candidate from Alipurduar, sidelining Barla. He was conspicuously absent from Tigga’s campaign. Although Tigga eventually won the seat, the victory margin dropped significantly to 75,447 votes. Political analysts believe Barla’s absence from the campaign and growing disillusionment with the BJP contributed to the reduced margin.
Trinamool also registered gains in the region, notably winning the Madarihat Assembly seat in the by-election—a Constituency considered a BJP stronghold and the home turf of Manoj Tigga. Barla’s growing closeness with TMC became evident earlier in January 2025, when he shared the stage with Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee during an official programme at Subhashini Tea Garden in Alipurduar. TMC leader Sourav Chakraborty welcomed Barla, stating: “John Barla was not only a Union minister but also a respected tea garden trade union leader. The BJP failed to value his contribution. His inclusion will greatly benefit us, especially in amplifying the voices of tea garden workers.”
However, BJP Alipurduar district president Mithu Das declined to comment on Barla’s departure, saying: “I cannot say anything about John Barla. The party’s state and central leadership will respond on this matter.”
“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,” Trinamool said in a post on X.