Former Tripura Speaker Jiten Sarkar & others want to join TMC: Mamata

KOLKATA: At a time when Trinamool Congress (TMC) had been trying to make its inroads in Tripura, party chairperson Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday exuded confidence in her party winning the state Assembly polls there in 2023 and claimed that former Tripura Assembly speaker Jiten Sarkar and several other leaders had expressed their willingness to join her party.

"I have received several letters from the leaders and workers in Tripura and sent them to Abhishek Banerjee," she said. Sarkar, a veteran politician, had quit Congress in 2016 to rejoin Communist Party of India (Marxist). He had earlier left CPI(M) in 2008. Earlier, former Congress MP and chief of All India Mahila Congress, Sushmita Dev, had left Congress to join Trinamool on August 16.

Asserting that her party will come to power in Tripura in 2023, Banerjee also said she wanted welfare schemes similar to Bengal's to be implemented in the northeastern state.

Meanwhile, after it was alleged that TMC leaders were denied services by hotel owners in Tripura due to the pressure tactics unleashed by the administration there, Banerjee said there was no law and order situation in the north-eastern state and only 'hooliganism' prevailed. Saayoni Ghosh, Trinamool Youth Congress president, who is currently touring in Tripura, alleged that the power supply to the hotel where she had put up was deliberately withdrawn by the administration at the instruction of the BJP. It was also alleged that the hotel had refused to serve food to the TMC leaders and workers on Tuesday. She further alleged that the BJP had sent threat mails to the hotel owners asking them not to keep TMC guests or face consequences.

TMC leaders alleged that senior officials of Tripura government had visited the hotel and harassed the hotel owners on more than one pretext, which included non-payment of GST, among others. The officials had threatened the hotel owners not to keep Trinamool leaders as guests in future.

The hotel owners were accused of carrying out illegal constructions by the senior state government officials who had conducted surprise raids at the hotels. Kunal Ghosh, secretary of TMC's Bengal unit, said Trinamool Congress was keeping a tab on the situation. "These muscle flexing will not work. Trinamool leaders will make frequent visits to Tripura to strengthen the organisation. In 2023, Trinamool Congress will set up a government with the support of the people," he maintained.

It had been alleged that local BJP leaders had resorted to violent means to scare away Trinamool Congress leaders. The vehicle of party's national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee was vandalised. Attempts were made to prevent him from reaching Tripureswari temple early this month. However, he overcame all the problems, reached the temple and offered puja. However, no one was arrested in connection with the attack on his car.

Two party leaders, Sudip Raha and Jaya Dutta, were attacked there. Raha received head injury and he along with Dutta were admitted to SSKM hospital for treatment. The security personnel of Dola Sen, TMC Rajya Sabha MP, was injured and Aparupa Poddar, party's Lok Sabha MP was pushed and her cell phone and wallet snatched. The incidents happened in front of the police, who looked the other way, alleged Trinamool leaders.

According to sources, Abhishek Banerjee had constituted a team of senior leaders who would be camping in the northeastern state every month.