Agartala, April 6 Veteran CPI(M) leader Manik Sarkar on Monday claimed that the ruling BJP in Tripura has failed to fulfill its election promises, alleging that democratic rights have been weakened under its government.
Addressing a rally for the upcoming Dharmanagar by-election, the former Chief Minister claimed that people have not been able to vote freely since the BJP came to power in the state.
Sarkar alleged that the BJP had made 293 promises in its vision document ahead of the 2018 assembly elections.
"Prime Minister Narendra Modi, then BJP national president Amit Shah, and several senior leaders had campaigned in the state and promised to fulfill all commitments mentioned in the vision document. However, the people's experience has been very different," he said.
Citing examples, the CPI(M) politburo member said the BJP had promised the implementation of the 7th Central Pay Commission recommendations for state government employees, which he claimed had not been fully implemented.
"They had also promised to fill 50,000 vacant posts in different departments after forming the government. Instead, the number of government employees has come down from 1.65 lakh in 2018 to around 1.15 lakh in 2026. Where are the jobs," he asked.
Alleging deterioration in the law and order situation, Sarkar claimed the state was witnessing an "anarchy-like situation" under the present government.
"Whether it is the assembly, Lok Sabha, or local body elections, voters are being intimidated. To change the present situation, I urge people to come out in large numbers and vote for Left Front candidate Amitabha Datta," he said.
The by-election was necessitated following the death of assembly speaker Biswa Bandhu Sen of the BJP in December last year. Polling will be held on April 9.