The Tripura Chief Minister, Biplab Kumar Deb, on Wednesday stated that the former CPI (M)-led Left Front Government in the State had tried to destroy the youth force of Bangladesh, a friendly nation, by aiding smuggling of drugs to that country.
Deb made this statement while inaugurating a Haj Bhavan, a lodging facility for Haj pilgrims, in Agartala on Wednesday.
A report appearing in the The Indian Express stated that this is a second time in just about a week that Deb has accused the previous Manik Sarkar Government of turning a blind eye to drugs trade across the border, a charge denied earlier by the Left party.
The report further quoted the Tripura CM as saying, “Manik Sarkar knew everything about the smuggling of ganja and illicit pharmaceutical drugs through the Indo-Bangla border. He acted like the blind king Dhritarashtra and turned Tripura into a den of the drug trade. It is the worst sin of all.”
Referring to Bangladesh, Deb said it opened a bridge on the river Feni at Sabroom in South district for developing Tripura as a modern State by using the Chittagong Port. “But, the Left rulers aided smuggling of drugs to that country and destroyed the future of their youth force. This is not the behaviour one shows to a friendly country,” Deb alleged.
Accusing Manik Sarkar of being “Janus-faced”, Deb said that on the one hand the Left parties praised the Bangladesh Prime Minister, Sheikh Hasina, in public while in reality; drugs were smuggled to destroy the youths of her country. “This is their real face. Our Government is not like that. We believe in ‘Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas’,” he said.
“No country can become developed unless it becomes crime-free and has rule of law. Former Chief Minister Manik Sarkar had 20 years to know this simple truth,” Deb said.
Earlier on July 18, Deb had said his Government has seized 20,000 kg of ganja in just four months, and accused his predecessor of “doing nothing” to stop production of the drug in the State. Of late, Tripura is in the news for cannabis being seized every other day.