Manik Sarkar trains guns at PM Modi, HM Amit Shah over statehood day speech

Manik Sarkar, former chief minister and current opposition leader of Tripura, Monday trained guns at Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah over their speeches on January 21 celebrating the state’s 50th Statehood Day. He alleged they “insulted” the history of democratic movement in the state against monarchical rule by suppressing facts of the democratic struggle.

He also criticised Shah for flaunting the state government’s ambitious 25-year development plan called Lakshya 2047 and said promises made in BJP’s vision document prior to 2018 Assembly polls weren’t fulfilled till date. He claimed the new development goals were ‘jumla’ or eyewash aimed at confusing people with Assembly elections around the corner.

Lakshya 2047 is supposed to deliberate on administrative challenges and set development goals in six sectors – infrastructure, governance, private sector, industries sector, forest & environment and climate change for next 25 years and do away with administrative delays to boost speed of governance. Shah unveiled the ambitious development plan on Statehood Day, calling it the blueprint of future.

Referring to the PM’s speech, where he said Tripura’s history was always full of pride and that the state strengthened its role in the country ranging from the rule of Manikya monarchs till today, Sarkar said, “The PM insulted democratic movement of the people by being silent on the issue. History represents truth. It can’t be brushed under the carpet. They will be forgotten from public memory, but history will come through.”

Referring to the Jana Siksha Andolan led by the state’s Left patriarch Dasharath Deb, who later went on to become Chief Minister in 1993, Sarkar said Tripura’s statehood didn’t happen on its own. It involved a long struggle against monarchy, fight for achieving democratic rights by forming elected governments, movement for mass education, Sarkar said. He alleged while the Tripura kings decided to merge with Indian Union, the last reigning king Maharaja Bir Bikram Kishore Manikya tried to crush the democratic movement in vain.

“We have completed 50 years of statehood. It’s a crucial historical incident. It didn’t happen on its own. Since mid 1940s, a democratic movement was intensifying for ending monarchal rule and forming democratically elected governments in the state. It’s said the state was ruled by 184 kings for over 1,300 years. Anti-British freedom movement reached Tripura. Jana Siksha Samiti started struggle for mass education and fought for achieving democratic rights….The PM suppressed these facts and insulted the democratic movement. Home Minister Amit Shah’s speech looked like it was aimed at praising the royal family, as if royalty did everything before BJP came in power”, the opposition leader said.

During his speech on January 21 while celebrating statehood day of Tripura, Meghalaya and Manipur, PM Modi said his government was focused on development in connectivity, infrastructure, technology sectors, delivery of benefits to common people among other things and said Tripura was fast becoming a trade corridor and business hub of the region. Referring to BJP-led governments at the centre and state, he said ‘double engine’ government fulfilled many long standing demands including access to Chittagong port in Bangladesh and said, “Whatever (development) happened in three years, is just the beginning. Fulfilling the full potential of Tripura is still left. The development of Tripura through efficient administration, use of modern infrastructure etc will ready the state for coming decades”.

In a scathing attack on the PM’s speech, Sarkar said the CPI(M)-led Left Front governments first took properly planned development initiatives for economic growth, with focus on agri and agri-allied sectors, contained armed insurgency through development initiatives, undertook connectivity projects among other works. He questioned why these works were not mentioned in the Prime Minister or Home Minister’s speeches.

Citing the PM’s praise of the BJP-led state government, Sarkar said democracy was murdered, opposition leaders and activists were throttled under saffron regime. He said BJP is trying to create one-party rule by rigging elections, assaulting differing political workers and said people have lost faith on the incumbent government and are preparing to dislodge BJP.

Reacting to Sarkar’s comments, BJP spokesperson Nabendu Bhattacharya said that allegations made against the Prime Minister are baseless. “These allegations are the only way of their political survival since they have lost all public support here anyway. Communists were active only for creating anarchy and disturbance, tried to insult Tripura’s Manikya monarchs several times including crafting false narratives, demolishing royal architectures. People are now knowing true history and tradition of Tripura. It’s natural for them to have allergy”.

He also said Tripura monarchs were instrumental in merging the state with India and said regent Maharani Kanchanprabha Devi is the mother of democracy in Tripura.