BJP ends 25 year rule of Left in Tripura with a historic victory

| Published on:

Also forms government in Nagaland & Meghalaya

@ AmitShah
Victory after victory is a positive sign. This has boosted our confidence even more for 2019.

Following the announcement of assembly election results of Tripura, Nagaland and Meghalaya on 03 March, 2018 the North-East effectively became a BJP-NDA citadel. In what seemed an impossible feat for it till even a couple of years ago, the BJP ended the 25 year rule of the CPI (M) in Tripura ousting the deeply entrenched Left dispensation from its second last bastion. Finally, the Left citadel Crumbled after 25 years and BJP also formed the Government both in Nagaland and Meghalaya with its allies.

‘Chalo Paltai’ (let’s change) was Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi’s clarion call to voters in Tripura as he exhorted them to vote out the two decade old Manik Sarkar regime. The voters did just that. They voted overwhelmingly for the BJP to replace what Shri Narendra Modi termed was the “Manik” with “HIRA” which, he said, stood for “Highway, I-ways, Roadways and Airways”.

From being a negligible force five years ago when it witnessed all its candidates, barring one, lose their deposits and manage just 1.3 per cent vote share to now cornering around 50 per cent votes along with its allies and romping home to power with a huge majority of 43 seats in the 60-member Assembly, the BJP’s feat in Tripura is undoubtedly mind boggling.

The BJP would be calling the shots in seven of the eight North-Eastern States now, a trend that started with the party’s huge victory in Assam in 2016. It is also the fructification of the ambition of the combine of PM Shri Narendra Modi and BJP National President Shri Amit Shah for the far-off North Eastern region. Nationally, the BJP’s footprints have emphatically expanded to 22 of the 29 States. This is almost three fourth of the country, literally.

Just as in Assam, the BJP’s juggernaut in Tripura rolled on ably by the BJP’s organizational pointsmen both in the National level, the State level and also the Government at the Centre that focused on North-East as the ‘Gateway to India’ from its very inception.

So far as Congress is concerned, it has not only been blanked out in Tripura but also it has met a similar fate in Nagaland too. While the Congress’ vote share in Nagaland declined from 25 per cent in 2013 to just 2 per cent now, the BJP’s increased from 1.8 per cent to 14.4 per cent. Its tally of seats too increased from one to 12 seats.

‘Sun is red when it sets, turns saffron when it rises’

Expressing his gratitude for the huge mandate, Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi promised that BJP Government would return the trust reposed by the people of the North-East on the party with “principal investment plus interest of vikas” in the region. He said people in Tripura must have suffered a lot to decide leaving the old regime and express anger through ballot against the Left Government.

Addressing a huge gathering of jubilant BJP Karyakartas on 03 March, 2018 at the new BJP Headquarters at 6 A, Deendayal Upadhyay Marg, the PM used a metaphor, “suraj jab doobta hain to lal hota hai aur ugta hai to kesariya rang leta hai (Sun is red when it sets, turns saffron when it rises)”, to refer to the end of the Left rule in Tripura and the start of the BJP’s era. He expressed surprise at the angry reactions of the Left leaders saying those who lecture on democracy should also have spirit of democracy to accept defeats.

Declaring that the ‘chot’ (violence) by the Left cadre against BJP workers have been responded with ‘vote’ by the poor people of Tripura. At the continuous dwarfing of the Congress, Shri Narendra Modi said soon there would be only one specimen Congress Chief Minister in Puducherry left in the country with Karnataka being next in line of the BJP’s poll fire.

Shri Modi paid tributes to nine BJP workers killed in Tripura and also referred to killing of 24 party workers in Kerala, West Bengal and Odisha in last six months. Tripura is an example that even one drop of BJP workers did not go waste, he said.
Referring to the arrest of a corrupt businessman in a bribery and cheating case, the PM took a jibe at the Congress party for describing CBI and ED action as vendetta saying “ it is not vendetta , it is mandata” (Government’s mandate). The Prime Minister brushed aside Congress’ vendetta charge saying “we are working for the well-being of the country.

He said Congress was never so down-sized as it is today and recalled him telling Puducherry Congress Chief Minister V Narayanasamy that he was lucky as soon he would be “the only specimen Congress CM left in the country”. As for the Punjab CM Amarinder Singh, Shri Modi said he was like an independent soldier. The PM said Congress will be defeated in Karnataka also.

In another remark against Congress leadership, the Prime Minister said on the one hand one party president Shri Amit Shah winning one victory after another , on the other another party president moving up in the ladder but the party going down in its size. While hitting out at the Congress Shri Modi, however, cautioned party men to ensure that Congress culture does not inflict the BJP.

Taking note of the BJP’s performance in seven of the eight States (Mizoram excluded) of the North-East, the PM said in ‘Vastu Shastra’ (Hindu system of architecture) North-East is considered the most important direction as it is considered all too auspicious. If North-East is set aright entire building is considered perfect, he said adding today NE has taken leadership in the country.

Effusive in this praise for the leadership shown by Shri Amit Shah, the Prime Minister said NE polls have shown that elections could be won by organizational strength without showcasing too many faces, leaders or celebrities and pointed to the important role of local workers. He said in Tripura BJP contestants and workers were the youngest, barely completing 25 years. “Bal sena ne kamal kiya”, he said.

The PM said the positive results were also on account of the silent work done by the Central Government and Ministry like DONER which was a mobile one visiting NE once in a month and resolving issues in the region itself. Taking on the Congress regimes, he said his Ministers have made more visits to NE in last four years than those made in 70-years rule of previous regimes.

‘Poll result a clear approval of development politics launched by the Prime Minister in North East’

Prior to PM Shri Narendra Modi’s address, BJP National President Shri Amit Shah addressed the media persons saying the poll result is a clear approval of the development politics launched by the Prime Minister in the North East and a signal that the party would wrest Karnataka in the upcoming elections from the Congress.

Shri Amit Shah said outcome in Tripura, Nagaland and also in Meghalaya are against the Congress and the Left politics of non-performance. However, BJP’s golden era, he said would begin only after the party scores victories in Karnataka, West Bengal and Odisha. He said these positive results augur well for the party’s success in 2019 Lok Sabha elections.

He also stated that victory after victory has boosted the confidence of the party and supporters. The BJP President thanked Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi for his great leadership and governance in the country and said, “In 2014 Narendra Modi Ji had said western side of the nation has developed a lot but the same has not reached the eastern side yet. He immediately started his ‘Act East Policy’. I believe this is the victory of his policies, stamped by the 3 states of the north-east.”

Shri Amit Shah also added that now BJP will march towards Karnataka with this massive victory. While targeting on the left, BJP President stated that it has been proved that Left is not right for any part of this country.

Shri Amit Shah said, “Jahan tak Left ka sawaal hai, ye siddh ho chuka hai ki Left desh ke kisi bhi kshetra ke liye right nahi hai.” Thumping the back of the party leaders, BJP President said BJP & NDA has governance in 21 states across the nation today. Mandate after mandate has been in the favour of Narendra Modi Ji and his government.