Popularity must for becoming successful leader: BJP MP Biplab Deb on Baby becoming CPI(M) gen secy

Agartala | BJP's Lok Sabha MP from West Tripura Biplab Kumar Deb on Monday said that one needs to have nationwide popularity, not only high educational qualification, to become a successful leader.

The former Tripura chief minister said this when he was asked about the election of MA Baby as the new general secretary of the CPI(M).

The 71-year-old veteran Communist leader was elected to the post on Sunday.

"Leadership quality is something else rather than mere academic degrees.One may be a professor, engineer or teacher. One has to acquire nationwide popularity to become a successful leader," Deb told the reporters when asked about the CPI(M) new leader's leadership quality.

"As of today, the CPI(M) has no such leader who has nationwide popularity like BJP's Narendra Modi, Amit Shah and Yogi Adityanath," he said.

In Tripura, the CPI(M)-led Left Front was dethroned after 25 years by the BJP-IPFT combine in 2018 and Deb became the chief minister.

The saffron party, however, replaced him with Manik Saha a few months before the 2023 assembly elections and won the polls for the second time.

The former chief minister of Tripura also said he doesn't know the new CPI(M) general secretary MA Baby even though he may be a qualified person, loyal to the party and having expertise in running an organisation.

"Being a former chief minister and MP, I don't know MA Baby. He may be a professor, engineer or teacher. I will check Google. While the Communist has no well-identified leader, the Congress has one parivar (family)," he said.

Backing the concept of One Nation One Election (ONOE), Deb said if the Bill is passed the country will be able to save money, time and spend much on development.

"This is not a new concept. Simultaneous elections have been practised in the country since independence but the cycle was broken by the Congress. The Congress has toppled many elected governments in different states using Article 356," Deb said.

"Currently, simultaneous elections are being held in three to four states. If the ONOE is implemented, huge money and time could be saved to undertake development works," the former Tripura chief minister said.

Elections are conducted at the expense of people's money, he said.

"If money is saved by implementing ONOE, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will launch more schemes for the welfare of the people," he added.