6,400 tribal voters join BJP in Tripura; CM Saha vows all-round development

Agartala, Oct 24 Tripura Chief Minister Manik Saha on Friday asserted that the BJP government is committed to ensuring the all-round socio-economic development of the Janajati (tribal) communities and will take every necessary step for their progress without any compromise.

Saha, a former president of the Tripura unit of the BJP, on Friday welcomed 6,400 voters, mostly belonging to tribal communities, who joined the BJP at a function in Krishnapur, Khowai district.

The latest mass joining came just three days after 690 voters from 200 families, mostly tribals, joined the BJP in the presence of the Chief Minister at Takarjala in Sepahijala district on October 22.

Earlier this month, and last month, several hundred tribals also joined the BJP, further strengthening the party’s tribal base ahead of next year’s crucial election to the politically significant Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council (TTAADC).

The Chief Minister said that the people of Tripura believe in peace, development, and democracy, and that the present government will not tolerate the use of muscle power in the state under any circumstances.

Making a veiled attack on the Tipra Motha Party (TMP), the BJP’s junior ally, Saha said: “If anyone attacks us, we will give a befitting reply through legal means.”

The Chief Minister alleged that tribal-based Tiprasa Civil Society (TCS) activists carried out an armed movement under the leadership of one person in the name of a peaceful agitation on Thursday, and their true nature is now clear to everyone.

“Today (Friday), 6,400 voters have joined the BJP. You have taken the right decision at the right time. Without the BJP, the TTAADC, the state, or the country cannot move forward in the right direction. I welcome all those who have joined the BJP today,” Saha said.

He recalled that during a similar joining programme held recently in Takarjala, some miscreants wearing masks of the Tipra Motha Party attacked BJP supporters who were on their way to attend the event.

Without naming TMP MLA Ranjit Debbarma, the Chief Minister said that a movement was being organised under the leadership of such a person (wearing a mask) in the name of civil society.

“What kind of movement is this? During the observance of a 24-hour shutdown on Thursday, they attacked our workers, a BDO, an engineer, an SDPO, and others with sticks and rods, and then called it a peaceful movement! What kind of movement are they talking about?” he asked.

Questioning the leadership of the TMP, Saha said that whenever they find the situation going against them, they create an atmosphere of unrest.

“After a few days, they will again say that they want peace. But now, their real face is visible to everyone,” he said.

Saha, without naming TMP, claimed that the party had threatened people by saying that national parties like the BJP would not be allowed to enter the TTAADC areas.

“But the BJP can go anywhere in the country, no one can stop us. I am warning them that such tricks may work temporarily, but they won’t last long. One of the BJP’s key goals is the overall development of the Janajati people,” the Chief Minister maintained.

He added that during the last TTAADC elections (in 2021), when he was the BJP state president, he visited several areas where BJP offices were vandalised.

“Even the photo of the erstwhile king Maharaja Bir Bikram Kishore Manikya Bahadur was thrown on the ground,” he said. Saha said Tripura witnessed 35 years of Left rule and five years of Congress rule, and neither party ever respected the Maharajas (kings).

“After the BJP came to power, the Agartala airport was renamed after Maharaja Bir Bikram. A statue of the Maharaja has been installed at Kaman Chowmuhani in the heart of the capital. To honour him, his birthday, August 19, has been declared a public holiday,” he pointed out.

The Chief Minister further said that since Narendra Modi became Prime Minister, special emphasis has been given to the welfare and upliftment of tribal people.

“The honorarium of Janajati community leaders in the state has been increased from Rs 2,000 to Rs 5,000. Officers have been appointed at sub-district and district levels to implement special projects of the Centre and the state for the welfare of the tribals,” he added.

BJP President and Rajya Sabha member Rajib Bhattacharjee, Tribal Welfare Minister Bikas Debbarma, BJP General Secretary Bipin Debbarma, former MP Rebati Tripura, district president Binay Debbarma, TTAADC member Bidyut Debbarma, and other party leaders were present at the event.

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