All India Trinamool Congress (AITC) general secretary Abhishek Banerjee on Sunday claimed his party would form the Government in Tripura in the 2023 state assembly elections.
Mr. Banerjee promised to end what he claimed was "BJP's misrule" and said his party follow West Bengal's model of ‘good governance’ to deliver fruits of development to the Northeastern state.
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Addressing a gathering before the Rabindra Shatabrshiki Bhaban (Tagore Centenary Hall) here, Mr. Banerjee alleged that law and order has collapsed in the State and development has come to a standstill ever since the BJP came to power in Tripura.
He also termed all poll pledges made by the ruling BJP as ‘jumla’ (fake promise) as he claimed these had not been fulfilled despite the party being in power for more than three and half years.
“They say BJP is a double engine government ... (but) If we compare the reports cards of West Bengal with that of the BJP led government in Tripura and in the centre, we see hardly any developments there (in Tripura and nationally)”, Mr. Banerjee claimed.
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He said TMC would fight in all the seats of the civic polls in the State including the Agartala Municipal Council slated for November 25 next and the 60 member assembly elections to be held in 2023 to "unseat the BJP."
“We must fight and defeat BJP , otherwise the situation in Tripura would turn similar to Afghanistan. BJP leaders have already instigated their party workers to launch attacks on TMC activists in Talibani style," Mr. Banerjee said, "the double engine government of BJP is like corona virus and they need only one dose which is Mamata Bandopaddhayay." He claimed that TMC would be able to form government in Goa in three months by defeating the BJP-led Government there.
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Mr. Banerjee said, TMC did not believe in forming governments by the back door.
“If we want, we can break (Goa) government even now. 15 MLAs are ready to join us, but we do not believe in back-door politics. We want to form government in a democratic manner. We are enjoying overwhelming response from common people, who are fed up with this government. We are sure we would form government in Tripura in 2023”, he said.
Ashish Das, a BJP legislator from Tripura and Rajib Banerjee, a national body member of BJP on Sunday joined TMC and Mr. Banerjee welcomed them with his party's flag on- stage.
He said TMC supremo, Mamata Bandopadhyay would visit Tripura in December and address a gathering here.
“Whatever is possible to oust BJP from the government will be done. If necessary, I will spill blood,” Mr. Banerjee said.
He alleged that the government had hatched conspiracy to cancel Sunday's programme by misusing police and administration, but could not succeed due to the interjection by of the Tripura High Court.
The High Court of Tripura late Saturday night gave permission to the Trinamool Congress to hold its planned rally for the party’s national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee after the local police cancelled its earlier permission, subject to the provison that not more than 500 people would be allowed to attend.
Amid a spike in coronavirus cases in parts of the country, the BJP-led state government had on Saturday also issued fresh guidelines making COVID-19 tests mandatory for people entering Tripura from several States including West Bengal.
TMC had promptly reacted calling this a politically motivated move. "The BJP is scared of Abhishek. They are using coronavirus as a shield to stop him from addressing the people of Tripura. This shows they know well that the people of Tripura are no longer with the BJP," TMC leader Partha Chatterjee had claimed.
Published - October 31, 2021 06:18 pm IST
