Agartala: While opposition Congress and Trinamool Congress accused ruling BJP of continuing attacks on their candidates contesting an ensuing civic poll even after the direction of the apex court to ensure free and fair elections, the Tripura government charged TMC with misguiding Supreme Court with distorted information.
Clarifying the stand of the state government on TMC allegation of violence, government spokesperson and Information Minister Sushanta Chowdhury stated that Tripura high court had heard TMC petition on an urgent basis on Oct 29 night when they declined the proposal of holding Abhishek Banerjee’s rally at Vivekananda stadium on the next day.
Police have interrogated as many as nine accused persons of allegedly attacking TMC Rajya Sabha MP Sushmita Dev recently during her public contact programme. Adequate security has been provided to TMC MPs, leaders, ministers coming from West Bengal and other VIPs as per the standard norms.
“Police have been instructed to take action against the trouble mongers and the accused of violence and attacks. In most of the cases perpetrators were unidentified but the police are not sitting idle. So far as preventing TMC from campaigning is concerned, it is also not factually correct. Nowhere in the state political campaign of any party is disturbed but TMC presented all fabricated facts before the court that tarnished the reputation of Tripura,” Chowdhury claimed.
The Minister also warned the opposition parties to refrain from indulging in such activities for narrow political gains and added, “Using a section of the media, Trinamool Congress is trying to defame the state government. The TMC and the CPI-M are trying to unite a particular community to create disturbances for the people of Tripura.”
He maintained that the Tripura government is committed to holding civic poll free and fair and reply to each and every allegation of TMC to the Supreme Court would be submitted in due course and said, “The state government is respectful to the court and we shall comply each and every direction but, we shall bring all the mischievous acts of TMC to the notice of Supreme Court.”
Meanwhile, TMC state convener Subal Bhowmik alleged that Sushanta Chowdhury was not properly briefed about the apex court order; rather, some of his comments attracted contempt of the Supreme Court. Police have not been working impartially in the state and failed to provide security to the opposition party leaders and candidates, which had already been explained to the SC.
“Even after the direction of Supreme Court, a TMC candidate was attacked in the presence of police in Dharmanagar. The TMC candidate in Ambassa and a few locations in Agartala were threatened in the last 24 hours by ruling party goons. The BJP ministers and leaders are making derogatory comments on the Supreme Court’s directions and police are also not doing enough as directed,” Bhowmik alleged.
The Congress Spokesperson Prasanta Bhattacharjee, however, alleged that their civic poll candidates in different parts of the state were coming under attack. The BJP MLAs and leaders have been openly threatening to loot the votes, which further encourages the miscreants to continue their violence to mar the election.
