Guwahati: Former Tripura Chief Minister and veteran Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) leader Manik Sarkar has urged all parties to band together to oppose the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
Sarkar urged for unity ahead of the Tripura assembly elections which are expected to take place the next year and accused the state’s in-power BJP of setting a bad example.
The former CM charged that the BJP had “looted votes” in the most recent by-elections held in the state,
“The BJP won votes by using intimidation methods and muzzling the voice of democracy,” Sarkar claimed.
He continued, “The BJP is destroying democracy in Tripura.”
He claimed that a sizable portion of Tripurans disregarded the BJP’s “terror tactics” by casting their ballots. Sarkar claimed that the party replaced the chief minister after realising that the public was losing faith in both the administration and the party.
The seasoned politician also accused the current chief minister, Manik Saha, of rigging elections. He claimed that “massive poll rigging” was how Saha won the by-election in the Town Bordowali constituency.
Tripura’s economy and culture won’t be able to fight back if the BJP holds onto power, said Sarkar.