"'Kushti' In Kerala, 'Dosti' In Tripura": PM Jabs Left-Congress Alliance

Hitting out at the Congress-CPI(M) alliance in Tripura, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday said that the two parties have strangely chosen 'dosti' (friendship) in the northeastern state as against their normal 'kushti' (wrestling) in Kerala.

Making a veiled reference to Tipra Motha, PM Modi claimed that some other parties were also helping the opposition alliance from behind but any vote for them will take Tripura several years backward.

"Old players of misgovernance have joined hands for chanda (donation). Those engaged in kushti (wrestling) in Kerala have chosen dosti (friendship) in Tripura, " the PM said at an election rally in Radhakishorepur in Gomati district.

CPI(M) leader and former chief minister Manik Sarkar, however, said it was PM Modi himself who had asked him how the Left government had managed to control militancy in the state and sought a note to use as pointers to fight militancy elsewhere".

Mr Sarkar did not specify when PM Modi had said this but the BJP leader became the prime minister in 2014 while the veteran Marxist was the CM of the state between 1998 and 2018.

Addressing the gathering, PM Modi said, "The opposition wants to divide the votes. Some small 'vote-cutter' parties are waiting for election results, hoping to get their price. Those out with dreams of horsetrading should lock themselves in their homes now itself." At another election rally in Ambassa in Dhalai district earlier in the day, he alleged that the Left and Congress governments created divisions among tribals, while the BJP worked to resolve their issues, including that of the Brus.

"The BJP is working for the upliftment of tribals across India. We have rehabilitated in Tripura over 37,000 Brus displaced from Mizoram. Our government has introduced the tribal language Kokborok in higher education," he said.

In the Union budget, the BJP government at the Centre has allocated Rs one lakh crore for the development of tribal areas, PM Modi said.

Referring to the fight against COVID-19, he said, "In a Left-ruled state, a lot of people suffered from coronavirus and died, but Tripura was safe as the BJP worked for protecting people's lives." 

Appealing to the people to vote for the "double-engine" government (BJP rule in Centre and state) to continue the streak of development in the northeastern state, he told the rally: "Beware of the double-edged sword of Congress and Left, they want to stop all schemes that benefit the people." 

The PM alleged that people have suffered due to years of their misgovernance.

"The two parties want the poor to remain poor. They have countless slogans for the poor but have never understood or addressed their pain," PM Modi said.

Listing the 'achievements' of the BJP government in the state, the PM claimed that earlier, CPI(M) cadres used to control police stations, while the BJP established rule of law.

Reacting to the charges, Manik Sarkar said, "I am afraid the prime minister has been untruthful. He said there was poor law and order during our term. I would like to remind him that he himself had asked me how we managed to control militancy here and also sought a note from us to use as pointers to fight militancy elsewhere." 

He also claimed that law and order was far better during the CPI(M) rule compared to the attacks on political opponents, the media and common people now. 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)