Summary:
Agartala, Oct 31 (PTI) All India Trinamool Congress (AITC) General Secretary Abhishek Banerjee on Sunday claimed his party would form the Government in Tripura in the 2023 state assembly elections after besting both the ruling BJP and the CPI(M), which earlier ruled the state.Banerjee promised to end what he claimed was "BJP"s misrule" and said his party would follow West Bengal"s model of ‘good governance’ to deliver fruits of development to the Northeastern state.Addressing a gathering before the Rabindra Shatabarshiki Bhaban (Tagore Centenary Hall) here, Banerjee alleged that law and order has collapsed in the state and development has come to a standstill ever since the BJP came to power in Tripura.The TMC national general secretary also sparked a controversy with a sharp attack on Tripura’s Chief Minister Biplab Deb, claiming that Deb was not even capable of being a local club chief, let alone be a Chief Minister and terming him “big flop Deb.” He also termed all poll pledges made by the ruling BJP as ‘jumla’ (fake promise) as he claimed these had not been fulfilled despite the party being in power for more than three and half years.“They say BJP is a double engine government ...
(but) If we compare the reports cards of West Bengal with that of the BJP led government in Tripura and in the centre, we see hardly any developments there (in Tripura and nationally)”, Banerjee claimed.He said both CPI(M) and BJP governments in Tripura had taken recourse to hooliganism and said his party would successfully take on both in the coming assembly election.Banerjee also criticized Tripura’s BJP government for vandalizing mosques and fuelling communal tension after vandalism in temples and Puja pandals in Bangladesh.“If anybody or any group vandalized temples in Bangladesh should someone vandalise mosques in Tripura? We want to live in harmony with people from different religious faiths.
Tripura’s image is being tarnished across the country by creating communal tension,” he said.BJP spokesperson Nabendu Bhattacharya reacted strongly to Banerjee’s attack on his party leader and chief minister and said “we too criticize political opponents but have never insulted (West Bengal chief minister) Mamata Banerjee.
Character assassination is the character of TMC”.Bhattacharya also counter-attacked Banerjee and called him “Pappu” (slang for boy).The TMC leader said his party would fight in all the seats of the civic polls in the state including the Agartala Municipal Council slated for November 25 next and the sixty member assembly elections to be held in 2023 to "unseat the BJP." “We must fight and defeat BJP, otherwise the situation in Tripura would turn similar to Afghanistan.
BJP leaders have already instigated their party workers to launch attacks on TMC activists in Talibani style," Banerjee said, "the double engine government of BJP is like corona virus and they need only one dose which is Mamata Bandopaddhayay." He claimed that TMC would be able to form government in Goa in three months by defeating the BJP-led Government there.Banerjee said, TMC did not believe in forming governments by the back door.“If we want, we can break (Goa) government even now.
15 MLAs are ready to join us, but we do not believe in back-door politics.