Tripura Information minister Sushanta Chowdhury condemned Manik Sarkar’s comments, saying the former chief minister attempted to pose himself as equal to Prime Minister.
Priyanka Deb Barman, Agartala: A day after Prime Minister Narendra Modi praised the “double-engine government” saying it has accelerated development in Tripura, opposition leader Manik Sarkar said that the tyres of the double-engine government have punctured and fallen down.
PM Modi, during his visit to Tripura on Tuesday, launched new terminal building of Maharaja Bir Bikram airport, Mission 100 Vidyajyoti school scheme and Mukhyamantri Tripura Grameen Samriddhi Yojana. While hailing the Tripura government, PM Modi in his speech accused the former Left Front government of applying “brakes” to development and not to corruption in their regime.
Reacting to PM’s speech, Sarkar said that the modernisation of the airport, development of internet and other connectivity services such as broad-gauge train and Indo-Bangla international railway connectivity through Agartala-Akhaura route came following prolonged movements of the Left organisations.
“We were the first to propose to modernise the airport. We had arranged the land and spent ₹35 crore from our own funds. Relocation of 30-33 families for expansion of the airport, excavation and other works began during our regime. Even the third internet gateway was started in our period. How PM is saying that we had applied brakes to development,” said Sarkar at the CPI(M) headquarters on Wednesday.
He claimed that PM Narendra Modi’s statement was concocted and said that the Bharatiya Janata Party didn’t have any role in India’s freedom movement, adding that PM Modi’s predecessors worked as agents of the British.
Regarding Mission 100 Vidyajyoti school scheme, Sarkar said that it would put the educational scope of poor students in danger.
Tripura information minister Sushanta Chowdhury condemned Sarkar’s comments and said, “The former chief minister attempted to pose himself as equal to Prime Minister. People very well know whether BJP or communist party had role in India’s freedom movement. The Left had opposed the freedom that India got in 1947. And did they have any proof of corruption in PM’s cabinet? We all know that Manik Sarkar’s cabinet ministers were involved in corruption.”
