The Bharatiya Janata Party on Saturday invoked Maharaja Bir Bikram Kishore Manikya Bahadur, the last ruler of erstwhile princely state of Tripura, to appeal to dislodge CPI(M) government in Tripura in February 2018 assembly election. The party celebrated 110th birth anniversary of the King known as a visionary who endeavoured to develop the hilly and landlocked state before he died at an early age of 39.
“The king and his predecessors were always targeted by the CPI(M). People were misled through a sustained campaign to bring the royals in bad light and hold them responsible for all problems in the state”, BJP state president Biplab Kumar Deb asserted at the central function organised in party headquarters here.
The party celebrated the day in all 3170 organisation booths across Tripura that was merged with Indian union on October 15, 1949.
'Malicious campaign by Communists'
BJP’s central observer Sunil Deodhar said there was always a malicious deign to undermine Maharaja Bir Bikram who established first college, over four hundred schools, ensured modern health care and civic amenities and created air and train communications with mainland India. He said BJP would ensure that Bir Bikram was remembered profusely for his all good and commendable works and voiced an appeal to ‘end rule of foreign ideology filled communist regime in Tripura’.
Jishnu Debbarman, a descendent of Maharaja Bir Bikram and core committee member of BJP, outlined latter’s life and work. He said: “Maharaja after returning from a visit to Europe made key changes in development schemes with a vision to transform Tripura into a modern state”.
“He was a true idol who never named any building after him or allowed putting up a plank in his name in any construction site. Palaces in Tripura are not named after King; this is also a bright side of the rulers”, Mr Debbarman added.
BJP leader Sunil Deodhar announced they have placed some demands to the central government to honour Maharaja Bir Bikram Kishore Manikya who was crowned in 1923 at a tender age. The list starts with proposal to bestow Bharat Ratna laurel to Bir Bikram, naming a road in national capital New Delhi after him, renaming Agartala Airport as “Maharaja Bir Bikram Airport” and erection of his colossal statue in Agartala.
