Tripura Cong Dissidence Worsens

Dissident Congress leaders, workers and loyalists of Sudhir Ranjan Majumder, arch-rival of Tripura Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) president Samir Ranjan Burman, burnt the effigy of Maurya in front of the Congress Bhavan here yesterday evening. We took control of the Congress Bhavan and would not allow Burman and his loyalists to take entry into the party headquarters, a dissident leader said after locking the Congress Bhavan.

The dissident leaders and workers told newsmen here that yesterdays incident was the first phase of their protest against the AICC lobby which appointed Burman as the TPCC president recently removing Majumder from the state party chiefs post.

Since appointment of Burman as the president of TPCC, Majumder and his loyalists had been demanding the removal of Burman.

Burman, in a retaliatory move, removed two TPCC central secretaries, two district presidents and one block Congress president, all loyalists of Majumder, from their respective posts and appointed his close associates to these posts. Majumder himself demanded Burmans resignation due to Congress poor performance in the recently concluded byelection to the two state assembly seats. Burman has no moral right to continue as president of the TPCC, Majumder said.

while talking to reporters this evening.