Leave "unholy alliance" join BJP: Former Tripura CM Biplab Deb tells CPIM's Manik Sarkar

Agartala (Tripura) [India], April 6 : Former Chief Minister of Tripura and candidate for West Tripura parliamentary constituency, Biplab Kumar Deb, has urged senior CPIM leader Manik Sarkar to leave the "unholy" alliance with the Congress and join the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
The BJP leader spoke at a party meeting in the Chandrapur area of Agartala on Friday.
"The understanding between CPIM and Congress is 'unholy' in nature, as both parties have forgotten the past full of bloodshed and conflicts," Deb said.
Pointing out Manik Sarkar's absence from the political campaign for the Lok Sabha and by-elections in Ramnagar, Deb said, "Manik Sarkar will never approve the alliance between CPIM and Congress. As Chief Minister of Tripura for four terms in a row, Sarkar only campaigned for the leaders belonging to the communist party. This is the first time he is being forced to campaign for a party he has opposed for all his political career."
Stating that communists were facing an existential crisis and were compelled to stitch an alliance with the Congress party for survival, he said, "Both the CPIM and Congress for their self-serving political agendas, are not interested in the welfare of the people. They have betrayed the people of Tripura over the years, and their actions speak louder than words," added Deb.
He further accused the communists and Congress of betraying the trust of people.
"During Manik Sarkar's four terms as Chief Minister, only 48,000 houses were constructed under the Prime Minister's Housing Scheme. After the BJP government was formed in 2018, nearly 4.1 lakh houses have been distributed among the beneficiaries," Deb added.
Deb also alleged that CPIM had no other duty but to oppose the central government.
"The CPIM criticized the central government's development projects. In the south district, 69 political murders had been committed due to violence between CPIM and Congress workers," Deb alleged.
The former Chief Minister also highlighted the progress made in empowering women in Tripura since 2018.
"The representation of women in politics has increased to 33%, and the number of self-help groups has risen from 6,000 to 60,000. Lakhpati Didis are present at the event," Deb told the media.
Tripura BJP President Rajib Bhattacharjee, party General Secretary Papia Datta, and West Tripura District President Asim Bhattacharjee were also present at the meeting.
Notably, the upcoming general elections in Tripura are scheduled to be held in two phases. The West Tripura seat will go to the polls on April 19, while the East Tripura seat will witness voting on April 26. The counting of votes will be held on June 4.