Agartala: CPIM Tripura State Secretary Jitendra Chowdhury on Thursday claimed Left party workers who had once voted for the BJP have realised their mistakes in the last 58 months and started returning home.
“Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the self-styled supreme leader of the ruling BJP, had promised that if voted to power, the government employees would draw twice the salary they were receiving. They promise jobs to every house. They made 299 promises in the vision document. I have no reservations in admitting that a section of Left voters got swayed away by the populist campaign led by the BJP and invariably voted for the BJP. In the last 58 months under the BJP, they have realised the mistakes they committed,” the CPIM leader said in a public meeting at Baikhora under the South Tripura district.
According to Chowdhury, not the only section of CPIM workers, the BJP succeeded in taking over the Congress vote bank too.
“The whole Congress support base merged with the BJP out of desperation to dislodge the Left parties, but what did they receive in return? Humiliation. They also realised that when the CPIM was in power, the Congress workers also led a life of dignity. They could hold their head high and speak for the cause they are fighting. And, no political party claims that the Left Front government meted out any injustice to rival party workers. The 35 years of the Left regime in Tripura was the real example of model governance,” claimed Chowdhury.
The former MP also said that if the BJP was not routed in the next assembly polls, the state’s next generation would have to pay a heavy price.
No end to political violence
The situation turned highly volatile in the Baikhora market area as the CPIM took out a mass rally in the streets, putting forth several demands. To counter CPIM’s foot march, BJP workers also gathered in the market area. Tension simmered as the workers of both parties came closer.
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The Police took swift action and stopped the CPIM rally. Jitendra Chowdhury also intervened and instructed the party activists to restrain from indulging in unruly activities. The rally took a U-turn from the midway and returned to the venue on the street corner where Left Front convener Narayan Kar and CPIM MLA from Jolaibari Jashabir Tripura remained present.
However, a motorcycle was allegedly torched by the BJP workers in front of the Brintak Siksha Niketan School. The motorcycle belonged to Sanjay Dattam, who was in the area to pick up his child from school.
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