Tripura Chief Minister, Dr. Manik Saha on Sunday launched a scathing attack on the opposition CPI(M)  and Congress, comparing their rule in the state to the dark days of the Emergency period.

Speaking at an intellectual meeting held at Rajarshi Hall in Udaipur, under Gomati District, CM Dr Saha expressed his concern over the stifling of democracy during their governance.

“We still remember the black days of the Emergency period in 1975. An atmosphere of fear psychosis prevailed. At that time, Tripura was under the leadership of Chief Minister Sukhomoy Sengupta. Many politicians were jailed, and the voice of the press was suppressed. The last 25 years of CPIM rule in the state was akin to the Emergency period. In the name of democracy, they dismantled it in the state. Subsequently, during the Congress-TUJS alliance government for five years, the situation was no different from 1975. People lived in fear, and incidents of murder, terror, and crimes were rampant," said Dr Saha. He further highlighted the throttling of democracy in West Bengal and Kerala, drawing parallels to the Emergency.

“In a similar fashion, with some modifications, these two parties also stifled democracy in Tripura. However, in 2018, under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the people of Tripura were liberated from such misrule. That time I spoke with an official from Tripura, and when asked about his experience, he responded with a great sense of relief. Without freedom of speech, democracy loses its meaning, and our BJP-IPFT government is dedicated to working for the development and restoration of freedom of speech, and democracy for the people. History will never forgive them”, said the CM. Dr Saha also noted that until the recent 2023 assembly election, peaceful elections were unheard of in Tripura.

“We are really very happy that we have a PM like Narendra Modi, under his leadership farmers benefitted as their income doubled. We want to work for the socio-economic development of people. Following this direction we are working for the women and kept 33 percent reservation in government jobs and also to empower them the number of Self-Help groups were increased. More than 4 lakh families received water connection through Jal Jeevan Mission. Because of PM Modi, the connectivity has also developed”, Dr Saha added. During the program, BJP state president Rajib Bhattacharya, Finance Minister Pranajit Singha Roy and other leaders were present.