Prime Minister Narendra Modi took a veiled dig at Tripura Chief Minister Manik Sarkar on Thursday, calling him a “big magician” who could hide failures and corruption by maintaining a fake personality.
Addressing an election rally here, Mr. Modi spoke about a “white kurta clad great magician in Tripura” who had painted a fake picture. “We have heard of one magician of Bengal [P.C. Sorcar], but the magician here is more expert in concealing unfortunate events occurring at his behest,” the Prime Minister said amid roaring cheers from the crowd.
IPFT shares the stage
Narendra Chandra Debbarma, president of the Indigenous Peoples Front of Tripura (IPFT) that has forged an electoral alliance with the BJP, shared the stage with Mr. Modi.
Mr. Modi invoked Maharaja Bir Bikram Manikya, the erstwhile king of Tripura who facilitated the merger of the State with the Indian Union, and said the BJP believed in ensuring the welfare of people hailing from diverse and different cultural sects.
He said everyone involved in chit fund scams would be punished. “For the past 25 years, the Left government has kept people hooked to a fantasy through falsehood. People should punish it for all its misdeeds, failures, and scams... like the Rose Valley scam which caused misery to the common people, even forcing some to commit suicide,” he said.
He spoke of alleged the discrimination against government employees and staff in their perks and wages and reiterated the party’s commitment to implement the recommendations of the Seventh Pay Commission.
Mr. Modi appealed to the people to vote for the BJP to take advantage of the development and welfare schemes introduced by the Central government for the progress of north-eastern region.
“I strongly believe that the age of development is set to come in Tripura with installation of BJP government”, he asserted.
The Prime Minister addressed a second rally at Kailashahar in north Tripura. Both Sonamura and Kailashahar are located near the Bangladesh border and have a large Muslim population.
