Money power, para-military forces helped BJP win Tripura: Mamata

Kolkata: Discounting BJP's massive success in the Assembly Elections in Tripura West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee accused the BJP of winning the neighbouring state with the help of outsiders, money power and the central para-military forces.

Hitting out at BJP President Amit Shah for his next targets of winning three more states — West Bengal, Odhisa and Karnataka the Trinamool Congress supremo wondered if the BJP would be able to continue at the Centre after the Lok Sabha Elections 2019.

Mamata Banerjee, who recently said she would be happy if the CPI(M) would win the Assembly Elections in Tripura, revealed that she gave an offer to Congress President Rahul Gandhi of an alliance and seat-sharing which was rejected.

Blaming the Congress and the CPI(M) she observed that it was not the BJP's victory in Tripura. The CPI(M)'s arrogance and the Congress' failure were the results of the assembly polls, she noted adding that had the Congress not turned down her proposal for an alliance, the results may have been otherwise. Hinting at foul play she alleged that something unnatural has happened in the Tripura polls which has made its results a ‘mystery’.

“I do not see any reason for the BJP to be emphatic over its victory in the Assembly polls in Tripura. The CPI(M) bagged 45 per cent of the total votes. It is no less. And the BJP got 50 per cent votes. What you are not saying is that in the North Eastern states power is grabbed with the help of source and force whoever stays in power at the Centre. I have only one objection which I spoke about in the Assembly recently,” she said at state secretariat Nabanna on Saturday evening. 

Mamata Banerjee alleged, “They (BJP) spent huge amount of money. Many incidents took place over EVMs. They brought outsiders to Tripura apart from misusing the central forces there. But I need to know why the CPI(M) did not protest. The CPI(M) totally surrendered itself to the BJP. Had they not surrendered, the results would not have been bad. There was a difference of only five cent votes. While the Congress suffered failures, the CPI(M) surrendered.”

The Trinamool chief claimed, “If you ask about the Congress' failures, I would say that I bought a change in 1987 in Tripura. It is not that change did not take place ever there. It is wrong which is being circulated in the social network. After the change in 1987 in Tripura the atmosphere was set for another change in 1992 when Prime Minister Narsimha Rao imposed the President's Rule at the behest of the CPI(M). Had it not been so, the Congress would have come to power then again.”

She added, “So there are instances in the history. Incumbency creeped in as the Left Front has been in the politics for a long time. Had the Congress given a tough fight, the difference bagging of four-five votes would not have been a big matter. In that case the BJP would have got only ten seats. Today I disclose that I made a request to the Congress. I personally told Rahul Gandhi: Look we are new in Tripura and we are yet to do anything there. I urged him to take part in the fight jointly Congress and Trinamul alongwith the hill-based parties.”

The West Bengal chief minister reasoned, “But they did not do it. I even suggested them for a seat adjustment which covered 14 seats to be contested by us and 16 others to be contested by the hill-based parties while the Congress would contest in 30 seats. This would have led to the creation of a platform. Had the platform been created, the difference in vote percentage would not have happened. But the Congress did nothing. I do not know why the Congress supplied oxygen to the BJP.”

She mentioned, “I am saying all these now because I gave it a thought and I pursued it also. I do not know at whose advice they did not accept my proposal. As a result the Congress vote percentage now stands at around two per cent. It is shame for them because they were the opposition party there.”