AGARTALA, Aug 31: Former Tripura chief minister and Rajya
Sabha member Biplab Kumar Deb alleged that the CPI (M) was
responsible for the mushrooming of regional parties in the
northeastern state.
He said this while addressing a rally for BJP candidate in the
Dhanpur Assembly bypoll in Sepahijal district on Wednesday.
“The regional parties like TUJS, INPT and IPFT were born in
Tripura because of
CPI(M)’s long-lasting exploitation and harassment. They
believed that indigenous voters are their secured vote bank but
the situation has changed completely nowadays”, Deb said.
Manik Sarkar of the CPI(M) was the chief minister when the
state witnessed a massive influx of Reang refugees from
neighbouring Mizoram in 1998 but he did not take any steps to
solve their problem, Deb alleged.
“But things started moving in favour of Bru refugees when the
BJP-IPFT government came to power in the 2018 Assembly
elections. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister
Amit Shah and BJP national president JP Nadda came forward
to solve the 23-year-old refugee issue”, he said.
Deb alleged that Manik Sarkar who ruled the state for several
years had tried to destroy the future of the young generation of
Bru refugees.
“But the BJP central leadership came forward considering the
sufferings of refugees and inked a historic agreement allowing
the Bru refugees to permanently settle in Tripura. Pradyot
Kishore Manikya, Tipra Motha supremo and IPFT president NC
Debbarma were among the signatories of the agreement”, he
said.
Deb claimed that the tribal people taught the CPI(M) a lesson
for ignoring the interest of indigenous people as the CPI(M)
could not win a single Scheduled Tribe (ST) reserved seat in the
2023 assembly election.
“The CPI(M) which considered itself as saviour of the
indigenous people, could not open an account in the election to
Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council (TTAADC).
Now, the Communists are irrelevant in tribal politics”, he said.
(PTI)
