Reported by Mrinal Banik
Agartala: A politically charged exchange erupted between Tripura CM Manik Saha and Leader of the Opposition and CPI(M) leader Jitendra Chaudhury after the former instructed party workers to ensure that CPI(M), the principal opposition party in the state, is ousted from the 10 seats it had secured in the last elections.
The Chief Minister, at a meeting, told party workers to leave no stone unturned to snatch the Assembly seats still held by CPI(M).
“The CPI(M) has lost all its bastions in the country. This party is losing its relevance fast, and in Tripura as well, they have to be ousted for sure. They won ten seats in the last Assembly polls, but this time the results have to be reversed. BJP must win those seats,” Saha said.
He also slammed CPI(M) for allegedly creating a conducive atmosphere for drug lords to flourish and enjoy their heyday. “It is after the BJP came to power that a crackdown was initiated against the drug mafia, and many kingpins are now behind bars,” said the Chief Minister.
Hitting out at the Chief Minister, CPI(M) state secretary and Leader of the Opposition Jitendra Chaudhury described the assertions made by the Chief Minister as an outburst of apprehensions over a political setback growing within the ruling camp.
“Through this statement, the Chief Minister laid bare the apprehensions of political setbacks haunting him. His confidence seems to be faltering due to the political conspiracies hatched against him and his leadership from within the party. As a politician, he has every right to say that he wants to win elections with a decisive majority, but his specific remarks against the CPI(M) and the ten seats won by it smell different,” said Chaudhury.
Criticising the Chief Minister, the CPI(M) leader said, “His speech at the same programme also highlighted the dire state of the party’s organisational structure. He speaks of discipline. In my opinion, he should first try to bring discipline to his own departments.
He holds charge of 80 percent of the departments. Take examples of departments such as Rural Development, Urban Development, Education, and Health. You will barely find any achievements to showcase.”