Deo, who has been given the responsibility of Tripura for the February 16 elections, spoke exclusively to News18 about seat-sharing, possible alliances and TMC’s prospects in the state, where the party will launch its manifesto on Sunday.
Edited excerpts:
What are you feeling on the ground?
We have been here for almost a year and a half but the journey has not been easy. Due to the violence against us, we could not even open our office till June 2022. Our candidates were beaten in municipal elections and they could not even come out to cast their votes, yet the people of Tripura stood by us. Congress-Left were nowhere on the ground and TMC was fighting head-to-head with BJP, so people of Tripura know the reality. I believe we have the right narrative and if voters can reach the booths, TMC will get their full blessings. If you don’t have ‘Josh’ then you cannot work in Tripura, you have to be really courageous to go out and campaign given the current state of the state.
Why have you fielded candidates only on 28 seats?
We were clear in the internal discussion that we will not field a candidate just for this. We will name candidates for those seats where our organization is strong. The election process is such that everyone wants a ticket, but we do not want to fight for the sake of fighting. We know that 28 is not a magic number – we only put up candidates where we have a good chance of winning.
In Tripura, there is a seat-sharing agreement between the Congress and the Left. Why didn’t TMC go for alliance talks?
Let’s look at it this way. TMC has repeatedly stated that its primary goal is to defeat the BJP. If you look at the Congress-Left seat-sharing, there is confusion and misrepresentation. He tried to show that he is tying up with Tipra Motha but it never happened. Tipra Motha has fielded candidates for 42 seats, so it is clear that it is not understood. However, it is interesting to note that Motha has not supported any candidate against CPI(M)’s Jiten Chowdhary, nor has he declared a candidate in Agartala city.
We don’t know what kind of understanding they have but we kept our doors open till the end. However, if the other party does not want an alliance like in Goa, then we have no way to go back. To enter into an understanding of seat-sharing, one needs to ask whether the alliance will work on the ground. Since we did not hold talks with anyone, we fielded our candidates and our only aim now is to defeat the BJP.
Former CM Manik Sarkar told us that TMC is helping BJP by contesting elections in Tripura. Tipra Motha founder Pradyot Bikram Manikya also says that you have no chance in the state. what do you feel?
Every party has a democratic right to contest elections and only time will tell whether TMC had the strength to contest elections or not. The narrative that no one has a chance or shouldn’t be in the field is not true.
TMC has never entered non-BJP states. In Meghalaya, Assam and Goa, the BJP emerged stronger as other parties weakened. Some people in Goa voted for the Congress but eight of its MLAs went to the BJP. So please do an objective analysis.
I have a counter question for Tipra Motha. It has fielded its candidates in more than 22 seats apart from 20 Scheduled Tribe (ST) seats. Most tribal voters are not with BJP so won’t non-BJP votes go to Tipra Motha even in constituencies where he can’t win? I think it is unfair to ask why TMC is in the fray.
Do you think the momentum with which TMC started in 2021 has slowed down?
Wherever we have expanded, we have projected to state leaders. You cannot expect senior leaders from Kolkata like Abhishek Banerjee to come to Tripura and hold the fort. We depended on the local leaders. Why do people say we have lost momentum? TMC was in the fray on every issue. Only TMC can fight with BJP. The narrative created by our opposition will not work.
Don’t you think TMC is giving more emphasis on Meghalaya than Tripura?
Back in 2021, we started the ‘Tripura Jonyo TMC’ (TMC for Tripura) campaign. We went out and talked to people to prepare a manifesto. However, we were attacked – my car was smashed, I was assaulted, our workers were beaten up and houses were burnt. There is a vast difference in the political environment of Tripura and Meghalaya.
Our manifesto will be released tomorrow. I think Mamta Banerjee’s good governance in Bengal is beneficial for TMC. The comparison between Tripura and Meghalaya is not correct. Since there is a demand for Tipraland, which is a sensitive issue, the top officials will have to see everything and then take a decision.
What do you think about Tipraland?
In a democracy, any party can keep its demand. This is a demand for a separate state and whoever supports it needs to give it in writing. So far no party has given such an assurance. For a separate state, a bill has to be introduced which has to be approved by the assembly. The people of Tripura will decide their fate. For us to step into it and say whether it is right or wrong is nothing but a political gimmick and we do not believe in such gimmicks.
Any post-poll tie-up with Tipra Motha?
What will happen after the election cannot be predicted. We will do everything to keep BJP out, that’s for sure.
How do you rate Tipra Motha?
The CPM was strong in the Scheduled Tribe seats and is contesting most of them. Then there is the IPFT which has the tribal vote as well as Tipra Motha. TMC has also fielded candidates in six SC seats and four ST seats. To say that Motha will have a walkover is going too far. There is a huge overlap between the votes of the Left and Tipra Motha. I believe it is a difficult election in Tripura.
How do you rate the understanding of the Congress-Left seat-sharing?
This is not an alliance, it is a distribution of seats. They have given only 13 seats to a national party like Congress. Like in Goa, it needs to be seen how many people actually stay in Congress after the results. You have seen what happened to this alliance in Bengal elections. They got zero.
What is the real election issue? Do you think it has been clouded by just talk of alliances?
There is huge unemployment. BJP’s promise of getting jobs to people by just one missed call has exposed. The health sector is in shambles and people do not have access to basic necessities like drinking water in their homes. I think these are the main issues.
The demand for Greater Tipperaryland will also be an issue. The tribal population is small but it covers more than 50 percent of the state’s area. I am sure TMC has come up with a new option for the people of Tripura.
What mantra will you take from Mamta Banerjee?
Mamta Banerjee is a big brand. People of Tripura know the kind of work he has done in Bengal. A lot of things will change after he comes here. I think Mamta di and Abhishek Banerjee will show the model of good governance to the people and this is our strength.
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