'Bye-polls will mark end of the road for BJP in Tripura' Says Abhishek Banerjee

AGARTALA: The bye-polls to four Assembly seats in Tripura, to be held on June 23, would set off the end of the BJP's rule in the State which will culminate with the party's defeat in the early next year's Assembly polls, Trinamool Congress' (TMC) national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee said here on Tuesday.

After participating in a road show, Abhishek Banerjee said in Agartala: "You (BJP) have Enforcement Directorate, CBI, Income Tax, we have the support of the people. The CBI chose this day (Tuesday) to interrogate my wife (Rujira Narula Banerjee) because they didn't want me to come here (Tripura)."

"But no force can stop us. We don't want 'duare goonda' (goons at the door steps), we want 'duare sarkar' (government at the doorsteps). Tripura will not be controlled from Delhi but by Tripura's people."

Referring to the stepping down of Biplab Kumar Deb from the Chief Minister's post, the Trinamool leader said that with the change of face, BJP's defeat in the 2023 Assembly polls cannot be avoided. He said that the attacks and atrocities on Opposition supporters are continuing even after Manik Saha has taken over.

"After the TMC started political activity in Tripura in August last year, the BJP became frightened. Not only the BJP, the CPI-M and the Congress are also afraid of Mamata Banerjee. We came to Tripura to defeat the BJP, like in Bengal. There is no force to curb the spirit of the TMC," Banerjee said.

Accompanied by the party's Bengal and Tripura leaders, he alleged that 35 years rule of the Left parties, five years of the Congress and over four years of the BJP have cheated the people.

"Now the time has come to give a chance to the Trinamool Congress for actual development of the State," Banerjee said, and announced that he would come again on June 20 to campaign for the party.

"Whenever you call me, I will come here (Tripura) within an hour. Not only in Tripura, the TMC will extend its political base in Assam and Meghalaya too," the TMC Lok Sabha member said.

Banerjee also said: "If BJP is virus, Trinamool Congress is the vaccine. While Trinamool is a High-Quality DVD, BJP is a "bhanga' (broken) audio cassette. If they pay you money to vote for them, take the money and vote for Joda Phool (TMC's election symbol)."

The TMC has put up candidates in all the four Assembly seats in the bye-polls -- Town Bordowali, Agartala, Jubarajnagar and Surma (SC). A multi-cornered contest between the BJP, TMC, Left parties and the Congress are on the cards for June 23 bye-polls. (IANS)

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