BJP ally TMP, Congress, CPM slam govt for not being invited to PM Modi's event

Agartala, Sep 22 (IANS) Ruling BJP ally Tipra Motha Party (TMP), opposition Congress and CPI (M) on Monday strongly criticised the BJP government for not being invited to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s programme in Tripura.

Fulfilling a long-awaited public expectation, PM Modi on Monday inaugurated the redeveloped Mata Tripura Sundari temple, one of the 51 Shakti Peethas revered by Hindus, in southern Tripura’s Udaipur. Under the PRASHAD (Pilgrimage Rejuvenation and Spiritual Heritage Augmentation Drive) scheme of the Union Tourism Ministry, the 524-year-old Tripura Sundari temple has been redeveloped at a cost of over Rs 54 crore.

The TMP leaders and MLAs on Monday criticised the BJP government for not inviting them to the Prime Minister’s programme in the state. Senior TMP leader and party legislator Ranjit Debbarma said that the state government did not invite any of the party leaders and MLAs, or even party supremo Pradyot Bikram Manikya Debbarma, also a former royal scion.

He said that the 524-year-old Tripura Sundari temple, built in 1501 by the state's erstwhile king Maharaja Dhanya Manikya in Udaipur, but none of the royal family member, including Pradyot Bikram Manikya Debbarma, was invited to Monday's historic event.

“Tripura Sundari temple has been associated with tribal culture and traditions, but no tribal leader was seen in the Prime Minister’s programme,” Debbarma told the media and described the “unfortunate development as a black day for the state”.

The tribal leader said that such an indifferent attitude would harm the unity among the tribals and non-tribals in the state. Debbarma said that before the signing of the 'Tripura Merger Agreement' between Kanchan Prabha Devi, then regent Maharani, and the Governor General on October 15, 1949, the Mata Tripura Sundari temple was owned by the Manikya dynasty.

After a year-long hectic parleys and after signing a tripartite agreement with the Centre and the Tripura government on March 2 last year, the then opposition TMP with 13 MLAs joined the BJP-led coalition government in the state on March 7 last year, adding a new twist to Tripura's politics. The two TMP MLAs -- Animesh Debbarma and Brishaketu Debbarma -- were inducted into the ministry headed by Chief Minister Manik Saha.

Leader of Opposition Party (LoP) Jitendra Chaudhury, who is also the CPI (M) Tripura state secretary and Congress working committee member Sudip Roy Barman, slammed the BJP government for not being invited to the Prime Minister’s programme.

Chaudhury, also a former minister and ex-MP, said that the BJP has no democratic spirit and they consider everything on a narrow party line.

Roy Barman, in a Facebook post, said that Modi is the Prime Minister of the country; no political party identity applies here. “He (Modi) came to the state today to inaugurate the newly redeveloped architecture of the Mata Tripura Sundari temple. At such an event, the ruling party and the state government displayed utter discourtesy; neither legislators of other parties nor any leader of the opposition party were invited to the ceremony,” said the Congress leader.

He said, “A party that can play politics even over Goddess Mata Tripura Sundari has already revealed its true image to the people. I wholeheartedly condemn the ruling party and the government for such a mean-spirited attitude.”

Tripura Governor Indra Sena Reddy Nallu, Chief Minister Manik Saha, former Chief Minister and Lok Sabha member Biplab Kumar Deb, BJP state President and Rajya Sabha member Rajib Bhattacharjee and other leaders and senior officials accompanied the Prime Minister during his temple visit.

--IANS

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