Congress, CPI-M contesting Tripura polls together to save their existence: Nadda

Agartala: BJP national president J.P. Nadda on Friday claimed that the Congress and the CPI-M during their governance destroyed Tripura on all fronts while the BJP during the five-year rule created a 'new Tripura', establishing peace and boosting development.

Addressing an election rally in Tripura's Kumarghat, Nadda criticised the Congress-CPI-M seat adjustments, saying the two parties have come together not for the state's welfare and development but to save their existence.

In a seat sharing deal, the four-party Left Front has fielded candidates in 47 seats and allotted 13 seats to their new ally Congress, even as they have been arch political rivals in Tripura since 1952. "Congress-CPI-M 'Mahagathbandhan' (big alliance) aimed to bring back commission raj, insurgency, corruption, lawlessness and other misdeeds," the BJP leader said.

Nadda said that to establish peace in Tripura, the BJP government in the state and the Centre have signed a peace accord with the militant outfit National Liberation Front of Tripura (NLFT), and then its 88 cadres surrendered to the government.

For the permanent settlement of the displaced Reang tribals, the Central government has also signed a four-partite agreement and over 35,000 Reang tribals are being provided with a permanent settlement in Tripura, investing Rs 600 crore, he pointed out.

Highlighting the BJP government's efforts for the all-round development of the tribals across the country, Nadda said that for the first time a "tribal sister (Droupadi Murmu) is now a country's President".

"There are eight central ministers who are tribals, several governors and Chief Ministers are tribals. For tribal communities, the budget has been increased by four times," Nadda said.

The BJP president said that Tripura witnessed insurgency, violence and road blockades before the 2018 Assembly elections, but the 'double engine' government ensured peace and development.

He said that investing Rs 980 crore for the Agartala-Akhaura (Bangladesh) railway project was being implemented to boost the state's trade and business and would facilitate the people of the state to go to other parts of the country very easily.

The BJP leader said that during the Congress and the CPI-M regime, food from ration shops were looted, 'commission raj' prevailed, and liquidation was everywhere.

Stressing on women empowerment, Nadda said that the BJP has nominated 12 women candidates in Tripura polls.

"The people of Tripura have already decided to return to the BJP government for the second time in the February 16 elections to ensure that the double engine government continues to further speed up the development," he said.

Nadda's rally on Friday was for the second time in the BJP-ruled Tripura in less than one month.

The BJP's national president on January 12 addressed a rally in Agartala, after the eight-day long state-wide 'Rath Yatra', which was flagged off by the Union Home Minister Amit Shah on January 5.