Tripura Election 2023: Expect vote of Tsunami against BJP as people are tired of violence, says Congress
Tripura Election 2023: "There's going to be a tsunami of votes against the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party. People are tired of the ongoing violence that has overshadowed the ruling party's development efforts," said Congress leader Sudip Roy Barman.
FollowThe Congress-Left alliance contesting the upcoming Tripura assembly elections believes a tsunami of votes will be cast against the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party as people are tired of five years of political violence in the border state.
In his PTI interview, Congress leader Sudip Roy Barman, former health minister, said that the alliance does not support the proposed Greater Tipraland state and believes that Tipra Motha will have a practical outlook in a post-poll scenario.
There's going to be a tsunami of votes against the ruling BJP. People are tired of the ongoing violence that has overshadowed the ruling party's development efforts, said Barman.
The BJP government gave us a Jungle Raj; the opposition's voice was throttled, and there was no rule of law; my prediction is that the Congress-Left alliance will sweep the polls, he added.
A five-time MLA and the son of a popular former Chief Minister of Tripura, Barman, led a group of six Congress MLAs to join the Trinamool Congress in 2016, only to move away to the BJP a year later, disappointed with the Mamata Banerjee-led party's lack of interest in the state.
His defection and his supporters are thought to have played a significant role in the saffron party's victory in the 2018 assembly elections.
Barman received several heavyweight portfolios, including health care. However, he was fired soon after by then-chief minister Biplab Deb due to political differences. In the presence of Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi, he rejoined the grand old party in February last year after resigning his seat in the assembly.
"We believe the vote will be so overwhelming that any attempts to rig the election will fail. Even if they (BJP) manage to break a party, it won't work as they are unlikely to have the numbers; horse trading will be difficult in any case here; people are very politically conscious," Barman continued.
On-demand for a greater Tipraland' by the Tipra Motha party, launched a year back by the scion of the former royal family of Tripura, Barman said, "It is not a practical demand as Tripura is surrounded on three sides by Bangladesh, we do not endorse the demand." The proposed Greater Tipraland state would include parts of several states and a portion of Bangladesh.
Additionally, he said that the leadership of the indigenous community had the right to make the demand but that there were other ways to address the demand for more development in tribal areas, which he admitted were poorer than the rest of Tripura.
Our indigenous people are dissatisfied with the pace of development in areas where they live, and we believe constitutional changes are needed, according to Barman, adding that the passage of the 125th amendment bill, currently before Parliament, would be beneficial.
Its passage will result in more funds flowing to the Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council (TTAADC), a three-tier panchayat system, and increased executive powers. He said he is ready to support those measures.
Greater Tipraland has proven to be divisive in this small state of just over 40 lakh people. While tribals believe the demand will benefit them, most Bengali-speaking plains people, who remember the 1947 partition of India in which they lost land, relatives, and livelihood, believe such a move will be disastrous for them.
"We cannot allow Tripura to be divided," said Barman, contesting from the Agartala constituency, which was once home to the legendary Communist leader Nripen Chakraborty. "The crystal ball looking ahead to the post-election scenario," said the Congress leader. However, a hung assembly was unlikely; Tipra Motha would have a practical outlook on government formation after the din and dust of the elections had settled.
(With inputs from PTI)
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