Fri. Mar 29th, 2024
By Al Jazeera English (BJP supporters) [CC BY-SA 2.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

BJP has been in the news lately in Tripura but not for all the right reasons. It began with complaints of violence, misbehaviour and defacement of statues. But BJP has gotten a fresh start where their experience is limited.

BJP’s in-charge of Tripura Sunil Deodhar passed a comment on CPI(M) on March 11th. He implored that the new Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb get all the septic tanks of ministers’ quarters cleaned as there is a possibility of skeletons being hidden there. This sounds like a very good foundation for a solid thriller movie. As if that one comment wasn’t enough, he went on to extrapolate by doubting the CPI(M) to be full of murders who hide skeletons hidden in septic tanks. A citizen of India would hope that this isn’t true because it raises questions on so many levels.

The basis for this bizarre request was mentioned too by Sunil Deodhar. He glanced back a 2005 case, where on January 4th a woman’s skeleton was found in the septic tank of the Manik Sarkar’s quarters and he said the case had been suppressed. The reason why he brought up this request with questionable evidence is that if BJP occupies this quarters they might have to face the blame for murders they have not committed. CPI(M)’s spokesperson Gautam Das took the brunt of the allegation confidently and accepted the challenge, that the party was clean. Meanwhile, Tripura’s DGP Akhil Kumar Shukla assured that the allegations were being looked into. He also urged that this might be a rumour.

On a completely different plane though, BJP honoured the 40-year old Congress president in Tripura. The BJP-IPFT government has decided to name the Agartala airport after the last king of Tripura, Maharaja Bir Bikram Kishore Manikya Bahadur. Of course, the government was thanked by the heir Pradyot Kishore Manikya. This ‘gift’ was quite unexpected but welcome nonetheless. The royal family was also paid a visit by Vasundhara Raje. The royal family sees this recognition as long overdue. Tripura’s first airport was built by Maharaja Bir Bikram Kishore Manikya. Manikya said that the communist party had not given the Royals the credit and honour they deserved. Therefore BJP is slowly winning over the sections the communist party was fundamentally against working with. BJP is also said to have offered Manikya a seat in the Rajya Sabha.

By Sahitya