E-Paper
Change of government inevitable in Tripura: Amit Shah
BJP president Amit Shah is on a two-day visit to Tripura, where the Assembly polls are due as the term of the current House is scheduled to come to an end on March 6.
BJP president Amit Shah on Sunday said a regime change in Tripura was inevitable, and accused the ruling Left Front of not acknowledging indigenous and Bengali icons.
“The Marxist state has gifted only unemployment, increasing rate of crime against women, lack of power, infrastructure, and poor wages,” Shah said at the BJP’s Vijay Sankalp (victory resolve) rally in the poll-bound state’s Gomati district. “Such a government needs to be removed. Vote for the BJP to welcome paribartan (change).”
Shah is on a two-day visit to Tripura, where assembly polls are expected in February. The term of the current House ends in March.
He accused the Left Front government led by chief minister Manik Sarkar of the CPI(M) of ignoring the birth anniversaries of Swami Vivekananda and Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, but “never missing out” on observing Marxist icon Joseph Stalin’s anniversary.
Shah also accused the state government of ignoring calls to rename Agartala Airport after the state’s last king, Bir Bikram Kishore Manikya Deb Burman.
“They are not given due honour in the Marxist era. But they will be honoured in BJP’s reign,” he said.
Reaching out to government employees, he said once the BJP came to power, a priority would be to implement the terms of Seventh Pay Commission. Nearly 150,000 government employees in Tripura do not get pay in accordance with the Seventh Pay Commission recommendations.
“I assure you all not to worry as the Left Front has little time left. The BJP will replace them soon. After coming to power, the BJP, in its first cabinet (meeting), will announce Seventh Pay Commission for the government employees,” said Shah.
He tore into the government on chit fund scams that hurt thousands in the state. “The Left Front government has no record of good governance for the people except its involvement in chit fund scams.” He added, “If we form government in February, we can assure that all the scamsters will land in jail.”
He said the Left Front would not be able to stop the BJP from forming the next government in the state even if it continued triggering violence. “We lost seven activists in the state in one year. But the violence could not stop BJP’s growth in the state.”
Highlighting the Centre’s contribution for Tripura, he said Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government had sanctioned around Rs 17,000 crore for welfare projects.
Earlier, Shah addressed another rally at Kulai in Dhalai district.
After the rallies, he flagged off the BJP’s election campaign vehicle in Agartala and addressed a meeting at Muktadhara Auditorium in the state capital.
CPM dismisses Shah’s allegations
“National Youth Day (celebrated on Swami Vivekananda’s birth anniversary) and the birth anniversary of Subhas Chandra Bose are observed every year with government initiative,” said CPM state secretary Bijan Dhar.
“The government has built a state university and an auditorium in Tripura Central University after Bir Bikram. Last year, the government hiked salary of employees and will raise it more if the Centre allocates sufficient funds. The BJP is trying to woo indigenous voters as they are about to seal pre-poll alliances with indigenous parties,” Dhar added.
