Tripura CPIM Claims BJP Using Govt Machinery for Party’s Election Campaign

New Delhi: Soon after Prime Minister Narendra Modi left Tripura on Sunday evening after launching several projects, the opposition Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPI(M) reacted sharply to his visit to the state. The CPI-M alleged “BJP is using the government machinery” for the party’s election campaign in view of the upcoming assembly polls in Tripura.

“Crores of money were spent for this purpose and the entire administration has been crippled which led people to incur various losses and problems as well. This tour of Prime Minister Modi has incurred a huge loss of funds from the government’s treasury, school students and common people were blocked for the entire day as if people were in cages, etc. This day can be remarked as a day of ‘misfortune’ because the central and state governments and PM had befooled the people once again,” said CPI-M Tripura state secretary Jitendra Chowdhury on Sunday evening.

Giving clarifications on some of the points raised by PM Modi in his speech Chowdhury said, “The work for the project of a new terminal for MBB Airport was started before the inception of Modi-led government and initiative was taken to make it an international connectivity spot. Rather, the frequency of flights declined and there is no sign of any international flights.”

“Secondly, before the inception of the double-engine government, the construction work of the Agartala-Akhaura railway link project started. After the formation of the BJP-IPFT coalition government in Tripura, it is being said that the project work will be completed within 12-13 months, but 58 months passed off, and till now the work has not been completed. Thirdly, some fruits were sent outside India for exhibition purposes and nothing else. Does the PM know that not a single acre of land has been increased for pineapple cultivation? Rather these are being consolidated and construction of houses and buildings is being done occupying paddy fields and filling up water bodies. Similarly, lands used for cultivation of pineapples and jackfruits were reduced to utilize for other purposes,” he added.

Choudhury said “During the Left Front government’s regime, Rubber Park was opened and various entrepreneurs visited the state. In this five-year tenure, no entrepreneur visited the state and old entrepreneurs closed their businesses and left the state as mafias are looting money from them at the Bodhjungnagar Industrial Growth Centre run by TIDC. In Tripura, one thing is flourishing in the past few years and i.e. the business of narcotic substances or drugs”.

Chowdhury also added that with elections around the corner, BJP has paralysed the entire administrative system of Tripura and put the people of this state in jeopardy. He said, “The people of this state, who are disappointed with the misrule of the BJP government during the last 5 years, were waiting for the Prime Minister to explain the reason for the failure of the BJP to fulfil the poll promises of 2018.”

“Apart from this, we were also expecting that PM Modi will make some announcements for Tripura as he has come to the state just before the assembly elections. But, nothing happened; instead, PM Modi left the people of this state in trouble and spent a huge amount of public money,” the Tripura CPI-M leader said.

“During the last 5 years no initiative has been taken to develop the industrial sector of Tripura, rather many industries and production have been shut down due to mafia rule in Bodjangnagar Industrial Development Centre,” he said.

On the proposed unification bid of secular forces to defeat the BJP in upcoming 2023 polls, Chowdhury said, “It has been already decided and on several occasions told in public space that the CPI-M is eager to constitute a bigger platform of secular forces against the BJP. But prior to any conclusive talks on the alliance, we are trying to convey our message from a united platform. Positive talks are underway with the opposition political parties in this regard.”

Earlier on Thursday, Chowdhury alleged that the BJP-led state government is going all guns blazing to ensure that Prime Minister Modi’s event at Swami Vivekananda stadium draws massive crowds, which according to him was a poor show of ‘political morale’. He had said, “We don’t have any problem with the Prime Minister’s visit. The PM should visit all the states and review the development activities. Similarly, he should also take into account what the people of that state want. But, we have strong reservations about the use of public money at the behest of the ruling party. When the district magistrates and sub-divisional magistrates have already been designated as the district election officers (DEO) and returning officers (RO) for the elections, they have now been instructed to gather the public for the PM’s event.”