Biplab Deb House Attack: How A Political Clash Was Given Communal Colour And The Nation Fell For It
It was reported earlier this week that the ancestral house of former Tripura chief minister and BJP’s Rajya Sabha MP Biplab Deb was “attacked by CPI(M) activists”. Some reports in the national media even said “a particular community” could be involved in the attack. With the matter getting national attention, many resorted to giving it a communal colour.
However, the police categorically said it was a political clash between BJP and CPI(M) workers after the latter put up Left party flags near Deb’s ancestral house. Shops situated near the former CM’s ancestral house were set on fire as a result of the clash between the two parties. The political clash happened a day before the annual rituals to be held on the death anniversary of Biplab Deb’s father Hirudhan Deb.
Priests who had arrived to perform the yagna for the ritual were allegedly attacked. Since the CPI(M) workers involved included Muslims, some tried to give it a communal colour by spreading news that the “ancestral house of Biplab was attacked and even preparations for a yagna were destroyed”.
Political violence isn’t something new in this northeastern state. And incidents of political violence have only intensified after 2018, when the BJP came to power ending decades of Left rule. There have been allegations that opposition parties like the CPI(M) and the Congress are not allowed to carry out their activities. In recent times, however, there have been allegations from the BJP too against the CPI(M) and the Congress for indulging in violence.
With assembly elections approaching, it is imperative that parties restrain their workers and supporters if political violence is to be tamed in the state. More importantly, it will be in the interests of the state not to fall prey to fake communal news. Tripura already saw communal tensions due to fake news circulated on social media in October 2020. Elections are round the corner and such incidents are clearly alarming for the state.
Amit Shah Kicks Off BJP Rath Yatra In Tripura
Union Home Minister Amit Shah flagged off the BJP’s first Rath Yatra from Dharmanagar in North Tripura district, and later a second one in Sabroom of South Tripura district. The yatra aims to give a boost to the BJP’s campaign ahead of the assembly elections due this year. It will touch all constituencies and culminate in Agartala on January 12. A central gathering would be held there on the day and it is scheduled to be attended by Shah and BJP national president JP Nadda.
During his speeches, Amit Shah clearly put to rest all speculations around the leadership by declaring that the upcoming elections would be fought under Chief Minister Manik Saha. This is a blow for both Biplab Deb, the first BJP CM in Tripura who was replaced by Saha, and Union minister and Tripura West Lok Sabha constituency MP Pratima Bhowmik. Biplab, although removed from the CM post last year by the central leadership of the party, is aspiring for a comeback to state politics as the CM. Meanwhile, Pratima, an old soldier of the party, also has aspirations for the top post. These aspirations have also given rise to factionalism within the party.
Another important takeaway from Amit Shah’s visit is that though he strongly criticised the CPI(M) and the Congress in his speeches, he refrained from attacking Pradyot Debbarma’s TIPRA Motha. Clearly, this is a signal from the central party leadership to Pradyot that it hasn’t closed its doors for an alliance. The central leadership of the party has been trying hard to get Motha join the NDA, and this has been mentioned by Pradyot himself.
Season Of Defections In Meghalaya
It appears to be a season of defections in the poll-bound northeastern state of Meghalaya. This week, SG Esmatur Mominin, who was elected from the Phulbari constituency on the National People’s Party (NPP) ticket in the last election, joined the Trinamool Congress. MLAs Hamletson Dohling and Jason S Mawlong from the People’s Democratic Front (PDF) and Samlin Malngiang from the Hill State People’s Democratic Party (HSPDP), meanwhile, resigned from the assembly. According to local media reports, these three are all going to join the NPP.
The defections do raise questions on the qualitative functioning of our democracy. The MLAs, who contested elections on a particular party symbol five years ago, are abandoning that party for another. Changing a party is certainly not undemocratic, but are these defections driven by concern for the electorate of their respective constituencies or only personal interests?
Demand For Inner Line Permit, Nepali Reservation in Sikkim
Opposition parties Hamro Sikkim Party (HSP), led by Bhaichung Bhutia, and KB Rai's Sikkim Republican Party (SRP) have joined hands to demand for implementation of Inner Line Permit in the state.
In the northeastern region, ILP is a very crucial issue. Currently, it is implemented in four states — Arunachal Pradesh, Mizoram, Nagaland and Manipur. In Manipur, Inner Line Permit was implemented by the Centre in December 2019, at a crucial time when the region erupted in protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), to pacify the Meithei Manipuris living in the plains. The state of Meghalaya too has been demanding the implementation of ILP. In fact, the state legislative assembly had unanimously passed a resolution urging the Centre to implement ILP after it was implemented in Manipur.
Apart from this, HSP and SRP have also demanded that Constitutional provisions for Nepali seats in the state assembly be restored. Nepalese are the majority community in the state.
The author is a political commentator.
[Disclaimer: The opinions, beliefs, and views expressed by the various authors and forum participants on this website are personal and do not reflect the opinions, beliefs, and views of ABP News Network Pvt Ltd.]
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