Carry Lotus Flag, Chant ‘BJP Zindabad’: Abhishek Banerjee’s Advise To Tripura Voters For ‘Safely’ Reaching Polling Booths

Abhishek urged people not to get scared of BJP “hooligans”, asking voters to fool them by pretending to be a supporter of the saffron party in order to reach polling booths safely.

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New Delhi: Criticising the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government in Tripura ahead of the civic polls, Trinamool Congress general secretary Abhishek Banerjee on Monday alleged that there is complete anarchy in the state.

People need to choose between the TMC’s ‘Duare sarkar’ model or BJP’s ‘Duare Gunda’ model, he said, as quoted by news agency ANI. 

Addressing a press conference in state capital Agartala, Abhishek Banerjee said there is no law and order in Tripura, further alleging that TMC workers are under attack by the “hooligans” of the BJP government. 

“There is total anarchy in Tripura. Journalists, police, and lawyers are being attacked. There is no law and order. TMC workers are under attack by the hooligans of the BJP government. They are doing atrocities to women and people. We are fighting for the people of Tripura. We will not leave a single-inch ground in Tripura,” he said, as quoted by ANI. 

The TMC MP urged people to vote for his party in the upcoming municipal elections, saying: “TMC will work towards the development of Agartala. BJP government has pushed the state 50 years back. Chief Minister Biplab Deb said he does not regard the court and laws. The people are not safe and even the police are not safe. This is Tripura's double engine government model. Now people need to decide whether they want ‘Duare sarkar’ (government at your doorstep) model or the ‘Duare Gunda’ (hooligans at your doorstep) model”.

Abhishek further urged people not to get scared of BJP “hooligans”, asking voters to fool them by pretending to be a supporter of the saffron party in order to reach polling booths safely

“If you are scared to reach polling booths then I suggest to carry a BJP’s lotus flag and chant ‘BJP Zindabad’ but reaching inside the booth press the button of ‘Jodaphool’ (TMC symbol). They have made you a fool for a long time now it is your time to make the BJP fool,” he said, as quoted by ANI. 

The TMC General Secretary also stated that “if voters exercise their franchise freely, which is quite unlikely given the prevailing situation, BJP will fail to open its account (in next Assembly polls)”.

“BJP has let loose a reign of terror from yesterday as they have already sensed that their days are numbered in the government... I will quit politics if I fail to defeat (Tripura CM) Biplab Kumar Deb and his tactics of intimidation in the Supreme Court,” he declared. 

The faceoff between BJP and TMC has intensified in Tripura as the latter attempts to gain its foothold challenging the ruling government. 

In a related development, a delegation of TMC MPs on Monday reached the residence of Union Home Minister Amit Shah in Delhi to meet him and discuss the alleged police brutality in Tripura. 

Earlier in the day, a total of 16 TMC MPs including Derek O'Brien, Sukhendu Sekhar Roy, Santanu Sen, and Mala Roy arrived at the party office in Delhi and held a protest outside the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) over the Tripura police incident. 

The situation in Tripura is tense after violent incidents have been reported in the run-up to the elections to the Agartala Municipal Corporation (AMC) and 12 other municipal bodies slated for November 25. 

TMC had alleged that several people sustained injuries after an attack on the residence of Trinamool Congress Tripura unit's Steering Committee chief Subal Bhowmik in Bhagaban Thakur Chowmuni area of Agartala on Sunday.

(With Agency Inputs)