Assam: Dilip Kumar Paul’s joining evokes mixed response in Silchar BJP

Silchar: Reacting to Dilip Kumar Paul’s joining BJP once again,  Minister Parimal Suklabaidya said, the decision was taken by the State leadership. “Dilipbabu in the past used to be in the BJP. He left the party, contested against the party, and now he had joined the party again. The joining ceremony was held in Guwahati. The State leadership took the decision and we would welcome him as the doors of the BJP is always open to all,” Suklabaidya said.

On the otherhand, Silchar MLA Dipayan Chakrabarty said, he was unaware of Dilip Kumar Paul, his predecessor, was joining the BJP in Guwahati on Sunday. Bimalendu Roy, Cachar district BJP president, on the other hand made it clear that the opinion of the district committee was not sought by the state unit regarding the joining of Paul again in the party. Amid this significant reaction among the district unit, Dilip Kumar Paul, who was suspended for six years in 2021 by the BJP for waging war against the party in the Assembly election as an independent candidate, had ceremonially returned to the saffron brigade on Sunday in Guwahati.

Paul was welcomed by the state president Bhabesh Kalita and two ministers Jayanta Malla Baruah and Pijush Hazarika. Later in a social media post, the former MLA from Silchar said after ‘1053  days of self quarantine’, he had once again returned to his original home. Paul, who contested the 2021 Assembly election as an independent candidate after being denied the ticket, expressed gratitude to the Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, all the elected representatives of Cachar as well as the district BJP and pledged to work for the betterment of the party. Paul informed that after joining the party on Sunday, he was assured by Kalita, Rabindra Raju, the central observer that he would be given a big responsibility in the coming election. It is to be noted that Paul was ousted from the BJP  in the past too and later joined the party. Paul took the limelight as the opposition leader in the Congress ruled Silchar Municipality Board and was instrumental in dethroning the then chairperson Susmita Dev. Later Paul contested the Assembly bi-election in Silchar as the seat was vacated after Susmita won the Lok Sabha election in 2014. Paul retained the seat in 2016 and was made the Deputy Speaker by the first BJP government led by Sarbananda Sonowal. However eyeing the 2019 Lok Sabha election, Paul resigned from the post of the Speaker.

After being denied the ticket in 2021, Paul resigned from the party and contested the election as an independent candidate. During the campaign, Paul hit the headlines with salvo after salvo against the state party leadership targeting Sarma and local MP Dr Rajdeep Roy. Paul even alleged that the local BJP leaders were running various syndicates. He got near about 11 thousand votes and stood third in the election.

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