AGARTALA: On the penultimate day of campaigning for the Tripura assembly elections, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that it was only a “double engine government” — a BJP government at both the Centre and in the state — that could usher in more development, and lashed out at the Left-Congress alliance, saying that they had only worked to fill their own coffers at the expense of the people. Tripura will vote on February 16 and votes will be counted on March 2, with the final day of campaigning on February 14.
Speaking to a packed crowd at the Swami Vivekanand stadium in Agartala, Prime Minister Modi said, “The people of Tripura have witnessed development in front of their eyes. There is no home left in the state where the BJP has not done anything. That is why, people have shown a red card to the chanda (donation) and jhanda (flag) government. People need sabka saath, sabka vikaas.”
Modi, who also had a roadshow in Agartala attacked the Left-Congress alliance for double-speak and said that they were “wrestling in Kerala and allying in Tripura.” “They cannot do any development except for filling their coffers leaving people in penury. Sanctioned funds will be utilized for development of the people only if the BJP forms the government for the second term,” Modi said.
Modi also said that over two decades that the CPIM was in power, between 1993 and 2018, had pushed Tripura to the “brink of destruction.” “The first condition of development is law and order. The people of Tripura can never forget the chaos where every aspect of life was at the mercy of cadres. The Left treated the people of Tripura as slaves and treated themselves as kings,” Modi said.
The Prime Minister said that the state was pushed to being backward under previous governments, and that the BJP had brought Tripura back on the path to development. “
“When our government is formed after February 16, construction of homes will continue. We have allocated 80,000 crore in the central budget for homes for poor families. We have provided water connections to four lakh families and given LPG cylinders, Ayushman cards and other benefits,” he said.
He also sought to emphasise the historical cleavage between the principal alliance partners in the opposition, and reminded Congress workers that they had been attacked by Left cadre. “Will you forget that ? You have to save yourself from them. Only BJP is a guarantee to development. We believe in politics of change and not of revenge,” Modi said.
Reacting to PM’s remarks, CPI(M) state secretary Jitendra Chaudhury said, “ What new thing PM said in his speech? It’s really unfortunate that his speech sounded like a party leader and not a PM.”
Congress leader Asish Kumar Saha said, “The democracy is at stake in the BJP regime. The election has turned into a mockery. We appeal to people to support the Left-Congress in respective seats to restore democracy.”
In 2018, the BJP had fought the elections in alliance with the Indigenous People’s Front of Tripura ( IPFT), defeating the CPI(M) under Manik Sarkar that had ruled the state for two decades. This alliance has continued in 2023 with the BJP fighting in 55 seats, and the IPFT in 5. On the other hand, hoping to wrest power from the BJP, is the Left-Congress combine, with Pradyot Manikya Deb Barman, the third force that is emerging in the elections, and will contest on 42 seats, including all 20 seats reserved for scheduled tribes.