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Political blunders may cost BJP 2018 Tripura Election : Editorial Analysis
Saumen Sarkar
Political blunders may cost BJP 2018 Tripura Election : Editorial Analysis
PHOTO : Himanta Biswa's action brought IPFT under BJP fold. TIWN Pic Feb 8,2018

Tripura’s struggling population are fed up with CPI-M Govt’s 25 years incompetence and deprivation of various sectors from Health, Education, Unemployment to such extent that people are ready for any alternate Party irrespective of ideologies. Mass grudge across lakhs of households are such high that even a faceless opposition could easily wrestle Tripura’s power from CPI-M.

Just like how CPI-M’s 30 years rule in Bengal ended by anti-incumbency wave  which smartly utilized by Mamata Banerjee, so I also hoped that Tripura would see a similar change in 2018 Assembly Election.

Since 5 years, State BJP got such a favorable political situation on plate that, all they have to do is sticking to Party principles, sell Modinomics (Modi +Economics) and most importantly establish itself a strong opposition which values ethics, principles, honesty.

Cash starved CPI-M was already laying low since 2014 as Manik Sarkar Govt’s multicrore scams from MGNREGA, NHM to illegal recruitments of 10323 teachers, State’s dilapidated Hospitals to Schools to clean drinking water, low Salary of Govt Employees – mass deprivation & miseries were endless.  

BJP’s vacuum of local leadership forced party to engage Maharastrian Sunil Deodhar and Delhi resident Biplab Deb to establish party’s political flagship in Tripura with the sole aim to defeat CPI-M.

From my analysis, both Biplab and Sunil worked very hard to turn Tripura a saffron bastion in North East India after Assam. Sunil Deodhar and Biplab’s clean image  restored faith across Tripura that BJP will stick with honest and non-corrupt brand of politics which is quite opposite of scam ridden CPI-M’s tainted image.  This was the story till the beginning of 2017.

All were good upto mid-2017 till Assam Minister cum Sarada Chit-Find Scam tainted Himanta Biswa Sarma forcefully took over the reins of Tripura BJP.  Himanta Biswa Sarma can be called North East India’s most corrupt leader as Assam BJP under the leadership of Siddhartha Bhattacharya published a scam-sheet manifesto just few months before 2014 Assam Assembly Election. Himanta saw the writings on the wall as CBI was about to arrest him so this wily politician cut a deal with Amit Shah to stay out of jail by breaking Assam Congress and helping to form BJP Government.

Himanta’s first Political blunder was admitting long-term friend and similar tainted face Sudip Barman’s entry into Tripura BJP.  Sudip Barman’s entry was vociferously opposed by State BJP’s majority stake holders but Himanta overpowered them with his mafia skills.

Like chameleons, Sudip Barman & Company changed their political color and jumped over to BJP. Needless to say, Sudip Barman’s political poll vaults from Congress Party to TMC (Trinamool), then vandalizing Congress office after TMC joining – followed by deserting TMC and destroying TMC Agartala office – so finally Sudip was welcomed by Himanta Biswa to position himself as a godfather of Tripura BJP.

Sudip Barman’s entry instantly changed BJP’s perception in public mind as it was seen no more a party of high ethics, honesty and integrity – instead BJP is just a political party like CPI-M which also has scam tainted politicians.

Himanta Biswa Sarma’s second Political blunder was State BJP’s alignment with IPFT faction led by Narendra Chandra Debbarma, entertaining them at Guwahati (Assam Govt’s expense), followed by IPFT leaders flight journey to meet Prime Minister Modi and Home Minister Rajnath Singh. 

Because of outsider Himanta’s poor knowledge of Tripura Politics,  alignment with IPFT faction was a blunder as N.C.Debbarma barely held any popularity or vote bank among Tribals, neither could scratch CPI-M’s Tribal vote bank is last ADC(Autonomous District Council) Election. N.C Jamatia as a politican was an utter failure so far – but aligning with a separatist N.C.Debbarma who has no other goal other than to become the king of ‘Tipraland’ State.

IPFT alignment finally snatched majority Bengali trust from State BJP as traditional CPI-M voters who felt that BJP might be a better alternative – now majority voter has put the trust back again to CPI-M.

Himanta Biswa Sarma’s past two and half decades of political life from the Guwahati Cotton College as Student leader, then cash collector of underground terrorist organization ULFA to Assam’s Congress Minister, followed by BJP Minister – time and again Himanta preached high dose of Anti-Bengali venoms to Assamese people to score his personal gains. 

Himanta’s third blunder was addressing Chief Minister Manik Sarkar as a ‘refugee’ in Dhanpur Assembly campaigning where anti-Bengali Himanta threatened ‘ after election we will send back refugee Manik to Bangladesh’ .

That single utterance exposed Himanta’s hatred for Northeast Bengalees – to whom Himanta sees as refugees from Bangladesh. Even though Manik Sarkar may or maynot be a refugee from Bangladesh but that arrogant hate filled utterance, Himanta insulted all Tripura Bengalees of their sufferings and migrations under Pakistan Army’s violent tortures. However there are many Bengali families even like my family who were living in Comilla, Agartala and Tripura’s plain lands adjoining Bangladesh for centuries even before Indian independence in 1947.

So the question raises, for the survival of their own future, how can Tripura’s lakhs of Bengali population trust a Bengali-Hater Himanta Biswa as no one knows whats Himanta’s dirty designs with Tipraland ?  Bengalees already lost Tripura’s two thirds of land after ADC(Autonomous District Council) formation – now left with one third – so finally whats on plate after Tipraland ???

Finally, yesterday while I was interacting with my Dada who is a reknowned Journalist of Eastern India, also Bureau Chief of multiple foreign medias over 30 years – when I asked what you think the possible outcome of Tripura election ?

His cryptic answer to push his view strongly was…” If BJP gets more than 10 Assembly seats then beat me with Chappals”…instantly I stopped him to say that I respect you the most but how you are so sure about this concluding figure of 10 seats ? …then he replied …’since many decades I work with intelligence agencies…also my ground people across the State…it’s an approx. number suggested by Intelligence Agencies. Himanta Biswa’s meddling and IPFT alignment to cost BJP heavily in election.”

Personally I donot support any political ideologies, I tend to stay neutral and 100% impartial, so my best wishes with BJP, CPI-M, Congress and all others.

But there is a high chance that CPI-M may win over BJP due to BJP’s own blunders for which none other than Himanta Biswa will be solely responsible.

So stay tuned till March 3…………!!!

Writer is Editor, TRIPURAINFOWAY.com, also a Global Network Engineering Architect based in New York  with 20+ yrs experience in Internetworking, Network Security Industry and worked at Bank of America, General Electric, Cisco Systems, Bank of New York, Merrill Lynch, NYC Govt,  NEC, Hewlett Packard. 

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