Agartala, Sep 2 (IANS) Tripura Chief Minister Manik Saha said on Tuesday that people have understood that without the BJP, no one can develop the state or the country, as CPI(M) and Congress have only used the Janajati (tribal) people for vote bank politics.

Addressing a party programme at Killa in southern Tripura’s Gomati district, the Chief Minister said that people have realised that without the BJP, development of Tripura and the entire country is not possible, as both the state and Central government have proved their performance.

In Tuesday’s programme at the tribal people inhabited Killa, a total of 610 voters from 200 families belonging to various parties joined the BJP in the presence of Saha and other senior BJP leaders.

Welcoming the new members to the BJP, the Chief Minister said: “On Sunday (August 31), I was in Asarambari and attended a mass gathering, organised in connection with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Mann Ki Baat, which is very popular and no leader has ever done this. It is a non-political programme, but what happened during last month’s Mann Ki Baat, when our karyakartas were listening, they were attacked. We are ready to sacrifice for the country, and whenever our karyakartas are attacked, the party stands firmly with them.”

The Chief Minister was referring to the July 27 incident in which Tipra Motha Party (TMP) workers allegedly attacked the BJP functionaries when they assembled at a village in the Asharambari area during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ‘Mann Ki Baat’ programme, injuring nine party workers. The TMP, headed by former royal scion Pradyot Bikram Manikya Debbarma, is a partner of the ruling BJP, and it has two ministers in the Cabinet headed by CM Saha.

The Chief Minister said that the BJP does not want politics of murder, terror, and violence like the 40 years of the regime of the CPI(M) led Left government and Congress-led coalition government. “BJP does not believe in such dirty politics. People have witnessed the politics of the CPI (M) and Congress. We do not believe in violence. People want peace. However, to ensure peace, strength and power are necessary, and if required, we are ready to use them. They used the Janajati (tribal) people only as a vote bank. PM Modi has always said that we want development for everyone. We want to live with Jati and Janajati in unity,” Saha said.

He said during CPI-M’s rule, terrorism was born, but under the BJP government, the state has become terrorism-free. Earlier, the condition of the Northeast region was not good, but everything changed after 2014 when Narendra Modi became Prime Minister, Saha said, adding that the present central government is working for the development of the Northeast.

“Now peace prevails in Tripura, and the HIRA (Highways, Internet, Railways, Airways) model has been given to us. Connectivity has also developed,” he added.

The Chief Minister also criticised CPI (M) for not giving due respect to Maharaja Bir Bikram for his contributions to the development of Tripura. He said that the BJP government has given due respect to the kings of the erstwhile Manikya Dynasty of Tripura.

Tripura’s last king, Maharaja Bir Bikram Kishore Manikya Bahadur (1923-1947), worked for the welfare and development of Tripura, starting from schools, colleges, markets, and many other institutions, the Chief Minister pointed out.

He said that the CPI (M) never gave them any respect.

BJP MLA Rampada Jamatia, BJP State General Secretary Bipin Debbarma, and Mandal President Amar Jamatia were also present at the programme.

–IANS

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