The monstrous face of democracy

About the Assembly election- 2023’ Tripura, the hilly state is going to be the ‘Laboratory of sabotage and explosion’. The ongoing political activities in Tripura seem to substantiate such an unsavoury assumption
The monstrous face of democracy

Mrinal Kanti Sinha

About the Assembly election- 2023' Tripura, the hilly state is going to be the 'Laboratory of sabotage and explosion'. The ongoing political activities in Tripura seem to substantiate such an unsavoury assumption. This time, the hilly state is to witness quite an exceptional election in terms of the mood of a political campaign. There would be a multi-cornered election, which may create a new history that, no doubt will polarize the voters into three dimensions. The ruling party, BJP will play a 'developmental card' to retain power. Besides, the ruling party will also use 'Hindutva' as the trump card or Bramhastra if Trinamool plays the Bengali card. The CPI-M, as usual, will focus on the non-fulfilment of vision document and will play the cassette of terror and threat to democracy. The Trinamool, which is very much optimistic in capturing the power of the state, will use the 'Bengali sentiment' as a ploy or the only weapon. Before that, the Trinamool will highlight the pro-people schemes launched in West Bengal. Tiara Motha– led by royal scion Pradyot Bikram Manikya, will stick to its arch-manifesto of 'Greater Tipraland'. The Congress, though has changed the leadership to revive the morbid organization will have little impact on voters. Internal feuds will reduce the party to a signboard-oriented organization in the coming days.

The forthcoming municipality election will be the acid test for all major political parties. And this election is significant because the result will push the major political parties to apply their Bramhastra, i.e, hidden agendas such as Hindutva, Bengali sentiment and Tribal sentiment. Besides, in some evil turn of the moment, who knows that flexing of muscle power will not be the ultimate weapon for the political parties to establish supremacy among themselves?

The existing political scenario is undergoing a critical impasse where all political parties have started poisoning the voters with their ulterior design. The recent political incidents do nothing but serve as naked exposures of how the parties shamelessly try to establish one's supremacy over the other in terms of sheer calumny and defamation. Here, at the initial stage, that is, after the declaration of the results of the last assembly election, the leaders of chief opposition parties hibernated for at least two years. During their hibernation period, the cadre-based party plotted many designs to malign the ruling government. Under the advice of top leaders, a group of devoted cadres switched over to the ruling party with a motto to create chaos and malign the image of the Biplab Deb-led government. Later, the new entrants, ironically grabbed most of the lucrative party portfolios in the BJP, sidelining a considerable portion of devoted BJP supporters. Having finished their home task, the Left Front leaders came out in the field energetic. They (CPI-M) formed a resistance force as their second political strategy. Gradually, the innocent and committed supporters of the Left party dared to take to the street as a token of active resistance. It is reflected in Dhanpur. On 6 September, Manik Sarkar, the leader of the opposition, had gone to address a rally in his Dhanpur constituency. On the way, his convoy was stopped by some BJP workers. As soon as the news spread, CPI-M workers and supporters came to his rescue and managed to shield Mr Sarkar. Within a moment, the venue became a battleground and many of the supporters from both parties sustained injuries. This was the first-ever incident after the change of guard in the state when the Left party resisted.

Two days later, as a countermeasure to the attack on BJP workers in presence of Manik Sarkar, BJP supporters ransacked Melarmath party office and even vandalized a print and electronic media house "Pratibadhikolom," PB- 24 TV Channel and CPI-M affiliated 'Daily Deserkatha' followed by some other incidents of arson and bulldozing of party offices across Tripura.

The incident is an outcome of an appeal by Bhanulal Saha, the then Finance Minister of Left-ruled government. Mr Saha had appealed to his supporters to resist the armed attack of BJP workers with full strength via the social platform. He even asked his supporters to take weapons such as shovels, pick-axes, vegetable cutters, matches, and clubs for self-defence. He even allegedly instigated his supporters to start immediately launching petrol bombs and firearms attacks on offenders to save the life of family members of Left supporters.

A similar kind of incident occurred when Abhisek Banerjee, general secretary, All India Trinamool Congress, visited Agartala. His visit turned Agartala airport road into a battlefield when BJP supporters blocked the road and attacked him. As many as 13 cars forming the convoy of Trinamool leaders were hit badly.

The attack on Trinamool leaders brought much criticism for Arun Chandra Bhowmik, a lawmaker who, in a Talibani style, boldly appealed to his party workers to counter the Trinamool leader's visit while he was addressing in a felicitation ceremony for newly inducted Union Minister of State Pratima Bhowmik at Belonia, South Tripura District.

For Mamata, it is the 3rd attempt in Tripura. Since the era of Sudhir Majumder, the Ex-chief minister of Tripura, Congress-led TUJS (Tripura Upajati Juba Samiti) coalition government, Mamata is trying to build up a base in Tripura to give her party a national tag. But she failed, as the leaders whom she believed, betrayed her in her time of need. Once, Sudip Barman acted as Trinamool opposition leader in the State Assembly. But, this time she is quite desperate and adamant. By hook or by crook, she is trying to oust the ruling party and Left front, the way she showed them their ultimate destination in West Bengal. To get the national party tag, she has debuted her trusted commander Abhishek Banerjee and others. It is beyond doubt, she is advancing inch by inch to build up her base and many people are pinning hope on her here. This time, she will surely introduce the 'Bengali card', her prime political weapon over Hindutva and the tribal card. Her devoted team in the state is busy with that and works round the clock.

For Tipramotha, it is a tough job to snatch all reserved assembly seats under TTAADC. During the last TTAADC (Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council) election, Tipra Motha won 18 seats out of 28. The rest went to BJP and one to an independent candidate. The Left was reduced to Zero. In the coming Assembly election, Tipramotha's only target will be to capture all 20 seats under Tripura ADC. It is only then; the tantalizing issue of 'Greater Tipraland' is likely to cast a viable impact on State politics.

On the other hand, the ADC area encounters a fear of bloodshed. The resurrection of Jiten Choudhury, the former MP as secretary of CPI-M state committee in the political arena of the state is a tactical move of the Left Front to counterattack the rise of Tipramotha. The Left Front is trying to revive GMP (Gana Mukti Parisad) and seeks to give it a new shape under the leadership of Jiten Chowdhury. The situation is so much charged and embryonic of political tension that no party is prepared to leave even an inch of land without a fight. In a nutshell, as popular experiences have been checkered by the political history in the past, the air of this peace-loving hilly state is going to be polluted by smoke, flames and the smell of cartridges as the worst testimonial to the flaring out of shameless political ambitions.

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