How and why TMC is trying to make inroads in Tripura

Persistent attacks on visiting Trinamool Congress leaders by the alleged BJP activists in Tripura are proving to be counterproductive for the state’s ruling party.

The TMC, which lost much of its organisation base in 2017 when all its six legislators in the north-eastern state led by Sudip Roy Burman had joined the BJP, has started to regain some of that lost ground.

Only last week around 30 grassroots leaders of the Congress and the BJP donned the TMC colour. Barely two weeks ago, seven senior Congress leaders of the state, including former minister Prakash Chandra Das, former MLA Subal Bhowmik and All India Congress Committee (AICC) member Panna Deb, joined the TMC.

The West Bengal’s ruling party got a fresh lease of life in the Bengali dominated north-eastern state after Tripura’s ruling BJP government last month detained and later booked 23 members of political strategist Prashant Kishor’s I-PAC, which has been working for the TMC since 2019.

Also read: On his way out, Tripura CM leaves a legacy of troubles for successor

The team was in Tripura for political survey work, ostensibly to prepare the ground for the TMC.

“The state’s BJP government handed over a much-needed issue on a platter to the TMC to build up a political momentum here,” said an Agartala-based political commentator Sitangshu Ranjan Dey.

As expected, the TMC immediately lapped up the opportunity to derive political mileage out of the development. The party supremo and West Bengal Chief Minister rushed her ministerial colleagues Bratya Basu and Moloy Ghatak and a party MP Ritabrata Banerjee to the Tripura capital, Agartala, on July 28 to seek the release of the detained I-PAC members.

Since then, the TMC leaders from West Bengal have been frequently visiting Tripura to build the party organisation there.

As the TMC gave thrust to its ‘Mission Tripura’, the BJP which was earlier accused of targeting leaders and workers of the state’s main opposition party the CPI (M), allegedly trained its gun towards the TMC, giving the party the much-needed importance it needed to find political space in the state.

In May this year, the state’s former chief minister Manik Sarkar, deputy opposition leader Badal Choudhury and others were attacked allegedly by the BJP supporters in South Tripura.

The main target of the BJP’s alleged attacks now appears to be the TMC.

Also read: From Didi to Ma: Mamata changes gear to take on PM Modi

The convoy of the TMC’s national general secretary and Mamata Banerjee’s nephew Abhishek Banerjee was attacked by suspected BJP workers at Parimal Chowmani in the Gomati district on August 2.

Since then there had been a chain of attacks on the visiting TMC leaders in Tripura. The latest being on August 15.

The two TMC parliamentarians Aparupa Poddar and Dola Sen’s cars were attacked allegedly by the BJP workers near South Tripura district’s Belonia town.

The two female MPs claimed that they were physically assaulted and their clothes were partially torn. Sen’s assistant Jakir Hossein received a head injury in the incident.

The BJP, however, denied its involvement in the incidents. BJP leader Nabadal Banik dismissed the allegations of attacks as a “drama” enacted by the TMC to grab media attention to provoke trouble in the state.

The series of attacks did help the TMC to create a buzz in the state as the party has been now seen as a principal opponent to the BJP, admitted some BJP leaders in private.

“The TMC is gradually becoming a pivot of all anti-Biplab (chief minister Biplab Deb) forces in the state. Even some dissident BJP leaders are now in touch with the TMC,” said a BJP leader, who claims to be neither pro or anti-Biplab.

“Some BJP leaders including ministers and MLAs are in touch with us, as they are concerned about the prevailing situation in Tripura. We will welcome workers and supporters of all parties willing to join hands with us,” Abhishek Banerjee told newspersons in Agartala recently.

Also read: Aftermath of Assam-Mizoram clash: Battle scars all around ground zero

For the TMC, Tripura is the only state outside Bengal where it has some genuine chance of making significant political inroads even as the party nurtures a national ambition.

Continuing with its political push, the TMC workers on Monday (August 16) observed ‘Khela Hobe Diwas’ in Tripura and West Bengal. Though the party had plans to celebrate the occasion in 12 states including BJP-ruled Gujarat and Uttar Pradesh, the programme was a non-starter outside Bengal and Tripura.

Khela Hobe (the game is on) was the TMC’s poll slogan during the 2021 Bengal assembly elections. After the party’s victory in the Bengal elections, the TMC has now turned the catchphrase into a political battle cry against the BJP.

The TMC decided to celebrate ‘Khala Hobe Diwas’ to push the use of the slogan on the national stage to dethrone the BJP.

“The tag of being a regional party of Bengal has left the TMC with not much scope in non-Bengali speaking states. Bengali majority Tripura is the only state where the tag will not be a detrimental factor,” Dey pointed out.

“Making Tripura as a springboard, the TMC can at best hope to get a few seats in neighbouring Assam, where Bengalis have a sizable population,” he added.

The TMC’s Mission Tripura further got a boost on Monday (August 16) when the senior Congress leader from Assam, Susmita Dev joined the party.

Susmita’s father, a veteran Congress leader and Union minister, the late Santosh Mohan Dev was elected twice from Tripura to the parliament. He was also instrumental in the party’s victory in the 1988 assembly elections when the Congress returned to power in the state after 10 years, dethroning Nripen Chakraborty’s CPI (M)-led Left Front government. It was the last time that Congress ruled the state.

Also read: This country belongs to us all: Mamata writes ode to India

“Her (Susmita Dev) joining the party will be a great help for us as her father, the late Santosh Mohan Dev had made a tremendous contribution to Tripura. She also takes a keen interest in Tripura politics and has visited the state on several occasions,” said TMC Tripura president Ashish Lal Singh.

The TMC’s last electoral sojourn in Tripura was however not very encouraging. Contesting 24 of the state’s 60-assembly constituencies in 2018, the party managed to get only 6,989 votes, a vote share of a paltry 0.3 per cent.

The BJP in the same elections pulled 43.59 per cent votes to win 36 seats, while the CPI (M) got 42.22 per cent votes to win 16 seats.

The TMC, however, can draw comfort from the fact that in 2013, the BJP had secured about 1.5 per cent votes contesting 50 seats.