Comparing Tripura with J&K not justified, says CM

Agartala, May 29 (IANS) Tripura Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb has said the comparison of Tripura with Jammu & Kashmir was unjustified, and his government followed the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) traditions of the party governments in Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh.

"Comparing the situation in Tripura with J&K by the opposition parties is unjustified. Tripura was never compared with J&K even during the 1980's riots and the height of terrorist violence during the previous Left Front rule," Deb said here on Tuesday.

Rejecting the Congress and the Communist Party of India-Marxist's (CPI-M) accusations about the pre-poll and post-poll violence, the Chief Minister said his government followed the traditions of the present and past BJP governments in Gujarat, MP and Chhattisgarh.

"The tradition of political violence would not be allowed in the BJP-ruled Tripura," he said and urged ruling and opposition party leaders and workers to maintain peace. "There has been no political violence in Tripura after the BJP came to power on March 9, 2018," said Deb, who was accompanied by Law and Education Minister Ratan Lal Nath.

He said before and after the 2018 Assembly polls when the Left Front was in power, around 440 incidents of political violence took place. But in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls only 185 incidents were registered.

"BJP workers were also injured in the opposition party attacks during the electioneering. Though the number of incidents were less compared with the Left regime, I am not happy and have asked the police to take appropriate steps against the perpetrators without seeing their political identity," the Chief Minister said.

Even if law breakers belonged to the BJP, they would not be spared, Deb asserted.

Tripura Congress chief Pradyot Bikram Manikya Debbarman on Tuesday compared the situation in Tripura with that of J&K and urged the Centre to deploy Assam Rifles in the state to restore peace.

"Tripura borders Bangladesh. Internal disturbances could create major troubles in the state. Due to the violence unleashed by the ruling party workers, the law and order has broken down," the Congress leader, accompanied by AICC spokesperson Pawan Khera, said.

A six-member CPI-M legislature group, led by opposition leader Manik Sarkar, on Tuesday met the Chief Minister and requested him to stop "political violence" and restore normalcy.

The Chief Minister said his government was considering compensation to those whose properties were damaged in the recent incidents and meet the treatment cost of injured.