BJP will edge out Left Front in Tripura, says Arun Jaitley

Union Finance minister promises one job to every family, integrity of Tripura; assures a committee to examine the backwardness of tribals.

Senior BJP leader and Finance Minister Arun Jaitley along with party leaders Syed Shahnawaj and Himanta Biswa Sarma releases party's vision document for the Assembly polls in Agartala on Sunday | PTI

AGARTALA: To woo voters ahead of the February 18 Tripura elections, the BJP committed to provide one job opportunity to every family even as the party has dispelled the rising fear of people over a possible division of the state.

Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, who on Sunday released the BJP’s Vision Document for the state, 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.

He said the non-Left space in Tripura had now been utterly occupied by the BJP. “Every day and every minute, we are expanding our base in Tripura. As per the joint statement for alliance between BJP and Indigenous People’s Front of Tripura (IPFT) we are committed to ensuring socio-economic, linguistic and cultural development of indigenous people of Tripura,” Jaitley told reporters. He said 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 state election in-charge Himanta Biswa Sarma 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 demand for the creation of a separate state for the tribals.

The CPI-M, which is a major constituent of the Left Front government, had on Saturday accused the BJP of backing the demand.

Meanwhile, the BJP promised one job opportunity to every family through reviving and establishing industries, promoting IT industry, bringing foreign and domestic investors etc. It promised to 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.