Agartala: Apr 06: In a charged election rally at Bankumari Bazar, Manik Sarkar, the CPM politburo member and former chief minister of Tripura, voiced his apprehensions about the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) potentially returning to power for a third term. Addressing the crowd in support of the Indi alliance candidate and Pradesh Congress President Ashish Kumar Sahar, Sarkar cautioned that such an outcome could threaten the basic rights of the common people.
Sarkar highlighted the constitutional guarantee of secularism, asserting that citizenship is not contingent upon religious affiliation and criticizing the current government’s implementation of the Indian Citizenship Act. He accused the RSS-led BJP government of attempting to divide the populace along religious lines.
The former chief minister also spoke of law and order concerns in Tripura, alleging that the police were neglecting cases involving attacks on women and directing victims to BJP offices instead. He described the situation as akin to “the rule of the jungle” and called for the establishment of a democratic, secular, and people-oriented government as an alternative to what he termed as ongoing fascism.
Sarkar further claimed that the BJP was manipulating institutions like the Enforcement Directorate (ED), Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), and the Election Commission to its advantage, thereby endangering the constitutional definition of secularism. He urged the people not to fear but to recognize the gravity of the situation where, according to him, plans are afoot to undermine the very foundations of democracy and secularism in the country.
