All India Trinamool Congress Chairperson Mamata Banerjee and AITC National General Secretary Abhishek Banerjee walked for more than 5 kms from Agartala’s Rabindra Bhawan along with their entourage amidst loud applauses and cheers on Tuesday. Interacting with people who came to catch a glimpse of their beloved ‘Didi’ from far-flung areas of the state, the party chairperson maintained her pace throughout the march with a smile on her face. The padayatra ended with her public address to a large gathering of people who had been there since morning to listen to the AITC Chairperson and party National General Secretary. While addressing the crowd, the AITC Chairperson slammed BJP, Congress, and CPI(M) ahead of the Tripura Assembly elections. “CPI(M) is the B-team of Congress…Double-engine has drowned Delhi. How can they save Tripura? These people are only visible during elections. You won’t find them after the polls. There is an alliance of CPI(M)-Congress here. In Bengal, BJP-CPI(M)-Congress came together to fight us. Don’t these people feel ashamed of their hypocrisy and for doing two kinds of politics in different states? CPI(M) was in power for years. What did they do for the people?” Highlighting the painful condition of the teachers in Tripura, she said, “Over 10,000 teachers lost their jobs here. BJP had promised to give their jobs back. Five years have passed but they were not able to fulfil their promise.” In her speech, AITC Chairperson Mamata Banerjee also exposed hollow claims of the state government and said democracy was destroyed in Tripura. “People have been oppressed here and are not allowed to speak up. Reporters aren’t allowed to write, there is no freedom of expression, and even when someone, including school teachers, had to protest, they were not allowed to sit on the roads.”
Citing the good governance in Bengal, she added, “Bengal has now come out as a model of good governance. United Nations has also recognised our Kanyashree scheme and we received the first prize. We have also received UNESCO recognition for our tourism.”
AITC Chairperson also assured the people that the party is not going anywhere and will fight for the state. “We are not leaving or forgetting Tripura at any cost. We will be with Tripura and
continue the fight. We want to set up industrial towns, clusters, hospitals, and engineering and medical colleges in the state,” she told the crowd amid thunderous applause.
Attacking the Central government for their apathy and poor governance, she said, “When they couldn’t fight us politically, they are sending ED and CBI after us. But “businessmen” are controlling the country. The [Central] government would have collapsed four days ago. They barely managed to save themselves.” At the end of her public address, Banerjee gave a message of unity, highlighting what her party symbol stands for. “I prepared the Trinamool logo myself and it symbolises the unity of all. They tried to erase us but grasses keep growing despite all obstacles. Today, we are a big tree in the political arena and it is not possible to remove us. If you think by arresting some of us or by sending ED-CBI after us, you can intimidate us, you must remember that the day doesn’t end here,” she said.