Rajnath leads roadshow as BJP vows to end ‘Sarkar raaj’ in Tripura
AGARTALA: It’s an upbeat and aggressive BJP that, as part of its ‘Look East’ policy, is challenging the 25-year Left rule in Tripura. Seeking to cash in on heavy anti-incumbency against chief minister Manik Sarkar, the BJP on Sunday today took out a roadshow with Union home minister Rajnath Singh in the lead, even as crowds cheered along both ends of the road.
If the sea of people who turned up at the public meetings on Sunday and lined the roadshow route, repeating chants of ‘Chalo Paltai’ (‘Let’s Overthrow’) and showering the BJP ‘rath’ with marigold petals, are any indication, the BJP has managed to position itself and an alternative to Left government alright. It remains to be seen how many of these crowds translate into votes, but both Singh and senior BJP leader Ram Madhav sound confident of the party’s electoral prospects.
The BJP over the past three-and-a-half years has expedited road, rail and air connectivity projects in Tripura. A rail connection between Delhi and Agartala via Tripur Sundari Express, was started in 2016 to ease long distance travel to and from Tripura. Also, an additional rail link via Bangladesh is coming up to cut travel time to Tripura. Three additional highways are being constructed at Rs 4,000 crore to link Tripura with the rest of the country. Add to this a project to upgrade the Tripura airport to an international one.
Source: Times of India