AGARTALA: Ahead of the February 18 Tripura elections, the BJP has committed to provide one job opportunity to every family in the state while dispelling the rising fear of people over possible division of the state.
“As per the joint statement for alliance between BJP and IPFT (NC Debbarma faction of Indigenous Nationalist Party of Twipra), we are committed to ensuring socio-economic, linguistic and cultural development of indigenous people of Tripura,” Union finance minister Arun Jaitley told reporters after releasing the BJP’s “Vision Document” for the state.
He informed that the Centre would soon constitute a committee to examine the backwardness of tribals, vis-a-vis their socio-economic, cultural and linguistic problems.
Assam minister and BJP’s election in-charge for Tripura Himanta Biswa Sarma, who was also present, emphatically asserted, “Tripura will remain one and absolutely one. Tripura will not be allowed to be divided”.
The non-tribals, who constitute about 66 per cent of Tripura’s population, are increasingly worried over the state’s integrity following the BJP’s alliance with the IPFT. They suspect the BJP, for the sake of alliance, might have given in to the IPFT’s long-standing demand for the creation of a separate state for the tribals.
The CPI-M, which is a major constituent of the state’s Left Front government, had on Saturday accused the BJP of backing the demand. “The BJP is instigating statehood. They support the demand but have not been able to admit it in public,” CPI-M state secretary Bijan Dhar had said.
Meanwhile, the BJP promised one job opportunity to every family through reviving and establishing industries, promoting IT industry, bringing foreign and domestic investors etc. The BJP’s promises in the Vision Document include free education to women till graduation, 7th Pay Commission awards to government employees, free smartphones to youth, investigation into the multi-crore rupees Rose Valley chit fund scam, housing to all without brick housing, drinking water to every household, regularisation of services of contractual government employees etc.
The party also committed to double the income of farmers in next five years, fill up 50,000 vacancies in the government in a year through a transparent process, enhance minimum wages to Rs 340 a day, amend the Plantations Labour Act, 1951 rigorously to facilitate the socio-economic development of tea plantation workers, ensure housing complex for them etc.
Earlier, Jaitley took on the Left Front for its alleged misrule despite being in power for 25 years on the trot.
“The Left could have changed people’s fortunes. Twenty five years is a generation in power. However, their politics has been one that of creating a fear psychosis among people and with the passage of time, their control on power turned into hatred,” he said.
The Union minister also said the non-Left space in Tripura had been now utterly occupied by the BJP. “Every day and every minute, we are expanding our base in Tripura” he asserted.