The CPI (M) General Secretary M.A. Baby on Wednesday alleged that the BJP's "double-engine" governments at the Centre and in Tripura have become "trouble-engines" for democracy and the people of the country.
Speaking to reporters after visiting a vandalised CPI(M) party office at Jogendranagar in Agartala, Baby alleged that democratic values were being undermined under the BJP's rule.
Baby was in Agartala to attend a crucial one-day CPI(M) state committee meeting ahead of the upcoming Village Committee (VC) and urban local body elections in Tripura. Following the meeting, he, along with CPI(M) state secretary and Leader of the Opposition Jitendra Chaudhury and other senior party leaders, visited the party office that was allegedly attacked during a BJP rally on Monday evening.
Alleging that the voices of common people were being suppressed, Baby said the BJP governments at the Centre and in Tripura had weakened democratic institutions.
"Whenever opposition parties try to reach out to the people, BJP-backed goons attack democratic institutions and those who support the opposition," Baby alleged. He also claimed that the police remained "silent spectators" during the vandalism of the Jogendranagar party office, calling it "utterly shameful."
Referring to recent political developments across the country, Baby claimed that the BJP-led NDA government was losing public support and that the Left parties were emerging as a stronger political force.
He cited the controversies surrounding the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET), subsequent student protests, and the resignation of former Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan as signs of growing public dissatisfaction.
"The Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) played a significant role in the recent student movement in Delhi and other parts of the country. At the same time, organizations such as the Students' Federation of India (SFI), All India Students' Federation (AISF), All India Students' Association (AISA), and others also played an important role," Baby said.
The CPI(M) leader also referred to the BJP's defeat in the recent Assembly by-election in Bankipur, Bihar, describing it as another indication of the ruling party's declining popularity.
According to Baby, the Bankipur seat had remained a BJP stronghold for nearly three decades and had been vacated by the party's national president, Nitin Nabin.
"Considering these developments, it is evident that the last days of the BJP-led NDA government are being counted. The RSS-controlled BJP-led government at the Centre is steadily losing the support of the masses," he claimed.
Baby further said that growing movements by workers, farmers, students and youths, coupled with the BJP's recent electoral setbacks, indicated that the Narendra Modi-led government's tenure was approaching its end.
"The role of the Left parties in providing political resistance will become even more important in the coming days," he added.
Baby's second visit to Tripura within two months is considered significant as the state prepares for elections to the Village Committees under the Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council (TTAADC) as well as the urban local bodies.