‘A Shame for Democracy’ : Jiten on ‘Harassment’ of TMC Delegation at MBB Airport
Agartala, Oct 9: Leader of the Opposition in Tripura and CPIM State Secretary Jitendra Choudhury on Wednesday strongly criticised the treatment meted out to the visiting Trinamool Congress (TMC) delegation at Maharaja Bir Bikram (MBB) Airport, terming the incident a “shame for Tripura and for democracy.”
The six-member TMC delegation — comprising Members of Parliament, an MLA, and a West Bengal Minister — arrived in Agartala on October 8 to inspect their state party office that was vandalised a day earlier.
However, soon after landing, the visiting leaders could not leave the airport premises as vehicles arranged for them were denied entry.
Addressing a press conference in Agartala, Choudhury expressed deep concern over the episode, stating that the TMC members were left stranded at the airport for nearly three hours. “Even prepaid taxis and auto-rickshaws refused to take them to their party office. It was only later that the police arranged alternative vehicles for their transport,” he said.
Choudhury asserted that while the CPIM strongly condemns incidents of political violence in any state, including the recent attack on a BJP MP in North Bengal, such actions cannot justify the harassment of visiting opposition leaders.
“We condemn the incident that took place in Bengal, but that does not mean leaders from another state should be humiliated in Tripura. No. What happened to the TMC delegation is completely anti-democratic,” he remarked.
Calling the incident “a blot on Tripura’s democratic image,” the CPIM leader accused the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of fostering a culture of political intolerance since coming to power in 2018. He alleged that demolition of opposition party offices and even private residences has become a common occurrence under the BJP-led government.
“Even on the eve of Durga Puja, five CPIM party offices were demolished in a single sub-division,” Choudhury claimed, though he refrained from providing further details.
Reiterating his call for peace and restraint, Choudhury urged the state government to ensure that such incidents are not repeated and that democratic norms are respected for all political parties operating in Tripura.
