Agartala, January 17:
Amid growing tensions between ruling NDA alliance partners — the BJP and the Tipra Motha party — Tripura Chief Minister Dr Manik Saha on Saturday emphasised the need for political etiquette and an end to violence to bring positive change in the state’s political environment.
Speaking to reporters during a winter cloth and blanket distribution programme organised by the Indian Red Cross Society, Tripura state branch, at Milansangha under the Town Bordwali constituency in Agartala, the Chief Minister said that political violence has long plagued Tripura and addressing it remains one of the key objectives of the present government.
Dr Saha, who also holds the Home portfolio, said he has witnessed political violence in the state since his childhood and questioned the very logic behind such practices.
“From a very young age, we have been seeing this kind of political violence. Why should there be violence or terror in politics? Even for minor issues, the opposition raises unnecessary outcries. Law applies equally to all — even our own party workers have been booked. This is not the way politics should function,” he said.
Saha stressed that every political party has its own ideology, but the primary aim should be to serve the people rather than engage in physical confrontations or muscle power.
“Politics should be based on performance and public service,” the Chief Minister added.
Dr Saha acknowledged that changing the political mindset would take time but said the process has already begun.
According to him, both the public and opposition parties are gradually realising and aligning with what he termed the BJP’s “political curriculum”.
He noted a visible change in political culture, stating that opposition leaders have now started paying courtesy visits, attending family functions, and in some cases participating in government programmes.
“Sometimes they attend, sometimes they do not, but people have begun to understand the vision of the BJP, and accordingly opposition leaders are also compelled to change their approach,” he said.
However, the Chief Minister’s remarks come at a time when several incidents of political violence — including physical assaults, arson and vandalism — have been reported in recent months, particularly between the two ruling NDA alliance partners, as the crucial Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council (TTAADC) elections draw closer.
With the elections scheduled to be held within the next two to three months, concerns remain over whether the improving political environment claimed by the Chief Minister will sustain during the intense campaign period ahead.
