The Left parties in Tripura have partnered with the Congress in the poll-bound state to restore democracy and save the Constitution, leader of the Opposition Manik Sarkar said on Friday while addressing the first major poll rally of both parties at the Radha Kishore Institution (RKI) Ground in Kailasahar of Unakoti district.
The flags of the Congress and the Left parties, which shared a long history of rivalry but decided to go together in the February 16 state polls, were seen flying together at the RKI ground. Huge gatherings of supporters of both parties were seen together to listen to their leaders who appealed to them for a unified battle against the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the elections.
Sarkar, the Communist Party of India (Marxist) or CPI(M) veteran who served as chief minister for two decades, accused the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party of destroying the secular and democratic environment of the state.
“We have only shared seats. This was necessary to save Tripura. When the Left was in power, none disturbed secularism. We shall do our respective politics. This is only a seat-sharing adjustment and neither an alliance nor a joint forum,” said Sarkar and appealed to cast their votes for the candidates of the Left and the Congress.
Congress general secretary in-charge of Tripura Ajay Kumar and the party’s state president Birajit Sinha also addressed the gathering from the same stage at the KBI ground.
Kumar alleged that the elections have turned into a mockery since the BJP came to power in the state in 2018. “If you (people) could ensure unity and fight together in this election, the saffron party cannot tide over the polls,” he said.
Birajit Sinha said, “People of Tripura saw violence, extortion, and destruction of opposition party offices in the five-year regime of the BJP. I appeal to you to eradicate them from power and support the Left-Congress partnership on the polling day.”
Sinha won three polls from Kailasahar constituency in the past but got defeated by former CPM leader Mabashwar Ali in 2018. Ali joined the BJP after being denied a ticket by the CPI(M), and he will contest from the same seat against Sinha this time too.
In another poll rally of the Left-Congress combine at Manubazar in Sabroom of South District, CPM politburo member Brinda Karat, Tripura CPM secretary Jitendra Chaudhury, and Congress leader Sudip Roy Barman appealed to people to vote only to dethrone the ruling saffron party.
In January, thousands of supporters of both the opposition parties led by Manik Sarkar, former chief minister Samir Ranjan Barman, and Dr. Ajay Kumar thronged the streets of Agartala together holding the national flag to secure the voting rights of the people in the Capital city.
Earlier this month, BJP president Jagat Prakash Nadda took a swipe at the Left Front and the Congress in Tripura saying their alliance was only meant to save their existence and not for the development of the state. Tripura chief minister Manik Saha had called their alliance “unholy”, asking how did the Congress leaders forget their previous allegations of violence perpetrated by the Left parties during the latter’s 25-year-old rule till 2018.
The counting of votes in Tripura will take place on March 2.