Tripura Chief Minister Manik Saha has claimed that growing public support for the BJP reflected the party’s its “country first” approach and that the people were increasingly aligning with the BJP because of its development agenda. Addressing a rally at Dasda Bazar in North Tripura ahead of the Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council (TTAADC) elections, the Chief Minister said, “Our policy is first the country, then the party and finally the individual,” he said, contrasting it with what he described as the priorities of Tipra Motha Party and Communist Party of India (Marxist). Saha called upon voters to decisively reject Tipra Motha Party in the autonomous district council polls.
“Tipra Motha must be reduced to zero in this election. There is no difference in policy between the Trinamool Congress and the Tipra Motha Party,” he said. Recalling the BJP’s growth since its formation in 1980 with leaders such as Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Saha said the party had grown from having “only two MPs” to leading the government at the Centre for three consecutive terms under Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The Chief Minister described the upcoming TTAADC polls as significant, noting that the BJP is contesting 28 seats for the first time. Calling the election “not just a small election”, he said it would “create history” for the party in the tribal council. The Chief Minister also accused the CPI(M) of corruption during its long tenure in Tripura. Saha further alleged incidents of violence were linked to the poll campaign, stating that attacks had been reported in around 40 locations since the BJP announced its candidates.
