Beneficiaries of power replacing dedicated workers, says Pratima Bhoumik
By Our Correspondent
Agartala, August 4, 2026
Senior BJP leader and former Union minister Pratima Bhoumik has triggered a fresh political debate in Tripura by alleging that "beneficiaries of power" have replaced dedicated party workers in the organisation and that the BJP has deviated from its core organisational principles.
Speaking in a podcast hosted by the online news platform News On Time, Bhoumik said workers who had struggled to build the BJP were gradually being sidelined while those enjoying the benefits of power had become more visible in the party.
"It is a fact that old party workers are being ignored. We do not have to look at 2018. The party workers who fought for the party in 2020 are no longer in the party. Those who are now showing their face at every event basically come from the section that is the beneficiary of power. We fought the CPI(M). They did not," she said.
Bhoumik said she did not believe in categorising party workers as "old" or "new", maintaining that responsibilities should be assigned solely on merit and capability.
She also questioned the implementation of the BJP's "one person, one post" principle, claiming that several leaders were currently holding multiple positions despite the policy. "When I became a minister, I was told that the one person, one post policy would strictly be followed. For the last five years, I can point out people who are holding multiple posts," she said.
The former Union minister alleged that some leaders had begun functioning according to their own preferences after being appointed to positions of responsibility, indicating a departure from the party's ideological values.
She further claimed that a section of leaders believed electoral victories would be secured solely because of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah, irrespective of the condition of the organisation.
Rejecting speculation about factionalism, Bhoumik said she did not lead any camp within the BJP. "My team is BJP. For me, each and every party worker is equally important. A true party worker never retires," she said.
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