In the ensuing by-polls one thing is striking. Many of the candidates from across the party lines are highly educated and successful professional. At least three among them are doctors and two engineers.
But, perhaps not many are aware of the fact that also this time in the fray, 75 years old Brajalal Debnath as an independent candidate, happens to be first IITian from Tripura. When Brajalal Debnath went to IIT Kharagpur in 1964 for his B Tech , the entry into the premier technical institution like IIT Kharagpur was extremely tough a matter. It was tougher at that time for any student who was from mid 1960’s Tripura. But Brajalal Debnath made it and all in Tripura then felt proud of him. After his graduation from IIT in 1969 he joined the Indian army ( Military Engineering Service) and then in early 1990s retired as a Major. After retirement he started some factory but then became socially active—mostly raising the OBC issues. The retired Major fought his poll battles before also but could not make it through and forfeited his deposits. This time again he is in—as an independent candidate in 6 Agartala Constituency.
There is one more former defence service man in the by polls – though all know him by his profession and his politics. Dr Ashok Sinha. The BJP spokesman and an eminent physician Dr Sinha (67) also served the Indian army as a captain and even had his experience in paratrooping. Of course, he does not carry the military brand moustache like that of Major Debnath , nor uses his rank in civil life, but he still maintains his firing-straight-from- the- shoulder demeanour with his own brand of smart sarcasm and ‘looking at things from a different angle’—often trying to look at the dark side of the moon and developing pain in the neck in the process. Highly opinionated and rigid in his ideas Dr Sinha is considered extremely intelligent and widely -read a personality. He is also very smart.
Two stories would bring to fore Dr Sinha’s personality trait. In October 1978 Indira Gandhi won the by-elections from Chikmagalur defeating Janata Dal’s Virendra Patil by more than 70,000 votes. After all that emergency and jail term her return was a most splashing news not only in India but also abroad. Dr Sinha – a newly MBBS at that time -who had gone to visit his brother in Delhi and just appeared for the UPSC exams for military service as a doctor and cleared the written exams. Incidentally on that day when all news papers carried the screaming headlines he was called for the interview and there were all those huge army commanders of the rank of Major General, Lt general etc. They asked Dr Sinha the first question- a common question actually at that: What is the most important news today ? Pat came the answer from Dr Sinha, “I understand you expect me to reply that Indira Gandhi has returned from the Chikmagalur is the most important news . But it is not.”. All the military men were for a shock. “This is not the most important news? Than what it is ? Came Dr Sinha’s answer : Sir the most important news is in The Stateman wher a small news item said Prime Minister Morarji Bhai Desai said, it makes no difference that Indiara Gandhi has won. It is important because our Prime Minister does not know what difference it makes when Indira Gandhi is inside the Parliament from outside the Parliament. It is important because our Prime Minister is unaware that he would be loosing his chair. The army generals were simply bombshelled. Stunned and speechless at the reply of a job aspirant in his first answer. They then said, thank you Dr Sinha we don’t need you to ask you anymore question. And Dr Sinha was chosen. He had answered only one question and came out of the interview room within minutes -victorious. In another incident in a seminar in Agartala on militancy soon after the Kanchanmala incidents where several people had been killed he advised G K Pillai, the then Home secretary , to ask his District Magistrates and other bureaucrats to buy a pair of jungle boots instead of moccasin so that they could move around the rural areas and find the solutions to the problems which would not be available in a cosy conference room.
Now, it is to be seen if Dr Sinha is, indeed, elected how he-a no-nonsense man -would handle the parliamentary matters which often require more wily manoeuvres than wits and intelligence to achieve the intended purpose. As it happened, Dr Sinha before studying medicine was also a student of English Honours and his class mate was veteran journalist Sekhar Datta.
Another doctor is in the fray is Chief Minister Dr Manik Saha.
An eminent maxillofacial surgeon and professor of the subject in Tripura Medical College, Dr Saha is known for two special traits: He is a perfect gentleman and soft spoken – very unlikely a politician at that- and he is a sports man in his spirt and demeanour. He was in his youth a talented badminton player. In fact, once in 1976 a national badminton meet in the final Dr Saha had to fight against his own elder brother Ratan Saha. Dr Saha represented his Patna University and his elder brother Ratan Saha Kolkata University.
Interesting it may sound, though two brothers fought in the final , the Patna boys—not really ready to give the familial relations much importance- took the game with extreme emotion and as a natural corollary the fight spilled over outside the badminton arena. The game was in Patna and the Bihar boys had extra privilege. The chaos was too much and the game was cancelled. The Kolkata team including Ratan Saha the finalist was not allowed to move. At last at 4 am, in the morning the game began again and Dr Saha won.
Dr Saha though not known as a very talkative man, he often comes out with extremely hilarious quips and witty comments.
Dr Saha also happens to be the only sitting Rajya Sabha member holding the Chief Minister’s position in the country and one among a very small groups of doctors who held the coveted chair. He is also president of the BJP state unit.
Besides Brajalal Debnath , there is one more engineer in 6-Agartala constituency former minister and Congress leader Sudip Roy Barman. Sudip Roy Barman is one of the leading political personalities of the state and he comes from a political family unlike Dr Sinha, Dr Saha or Brajalal Debnath. Roy Barman studied in Dehradun and then KVK. He then studied mechanical engineering in Tripura Engineering College ( Now NIT-Agartala) and then Law. But Roy Barman never practiced law nor ever tried hand in engineering.
Roy Barman (58) does not need much introduction , because he is in the public life for long holding several important political positions and was also in the government as Health Minister.
One special quality of Roy Barman is known to all – his sense of music and singing quality. He was often seen in the public programmes singing along side eminent singers with equal elan and style. Though most of the time people heard him singing popular Hindi albums, his rendition of Western music specially some numbers from Sound of Music is bound keep the audience spellbound.
He may not have ever used his legal or engineering education in practical life but his education seemed to have helped a lot in his tenure as minister in the BJP -IPFT government. As it happened his father and former Chief Minister Samir Ranjan Barman was also a lawyer, so was his grandfather Sudhir Barman.
This time he is fighting a poll battle which is considered to be extremely important for political career. Over the last few years his politics seemed to have been seriously influenced by his personal conflict with former Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb and after his joining Congress he once again became the face of the Congress in Tripura. As such this time his return from the seat was a do or die case for him.
There is one more doctor in the fray. Dr Mrinal Kanti Debnath. Dr Debnath has been fielded by Trinamool Congress in Jubarajnagar constituency. Dr Debnath (47) is an MBBS but is not with any government job. A popular figure in this constituency he is considered a green horn in parliamentary politics. The TMC banks heavily on him and if he can really make it through, then undoubtedly he will have a good political future in the state.
It may be mentioned here that there are already two more doctors in the Tripura assembly except Chief Minister Dr Manik Saha– Dr Dilip Das an eminent gynecologist and also a colleague of Dr saha in Tripura Medical College and Dr Atul Debbarma, who was settled in Delhi but returned to tripura to join direct politics.
