Agartala, Aug 30: Former Chief Minister Manik Sarkar launched a scathing attack on the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), accusing the ruling party of clinging to power through “vote tactics” while pushing the state and the country toward what he termed “growing anarchy.”
Speaking at a blood donation camp in Agartala, Sarkar alleged that the BJP, guided by the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), had spent the last 11 years pursuing “anti-people policies” that hurt workers, daily wage earners, farmers, minorities, Scheduled Castes (SCs), Scheduled Tribes (STs), Hindus, and Muslims.
“Anarchy has been created in the entire Tripura. This is not BJP’s strength but its weakness being exposed before the people,” Sarkar remarked, warning that democratic values were under severe threat.
The veteran CPI(M) leader also cited the BJP’s performance in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, noting that the party’s slogan of “400 seats” ended with just 240, forcing it to depend on coalition partners. “The burden of running the government lies on others’ shoulders,” he said, projecting the outcome as a sign of declining public faith.
Sarkar further accused the BJP of tampering with democratic institutions, pointing to Bihar’s Special Intensified Revision (SIR) where nearly 65 lakh names—mostly SCs, STs, Muslims, and other minorities—were allegedly excluded from the voter list. “The BJP is trying to manipulate democracy by controlling voter lists of its choice. The opposition has even been silenced in Parliament and Assemblies,” he charged.
Calling the BJP’s governance “authoritarian,” Sarkar appealed to workers, farmers, and marginalized sections to resist policies that undermine their rights. “The fight for democracy must go hand in hand with the struggles of the poor, the workers, and the marginalized communities,” he stressed.
The remarks have intensified political debates in Tripura, where both ruling and opposition parties are engaged in fierce narrative-building ahead of upcoming electoral battles.
