By TC News Desk
Agartala, 24th April 2024 : Balai Goswami, the election agent for BJP nominee Biplab Kumar Deb for the 1-West Tripura Lok Sabha seat, has penned a detailed letter to the Returning Officer of the 2-East Tripura parliamentary constituency. Goswami’s letter comes as a response to allegations of Model Code of Conduct (MCC) violations in Deb’s statements.
Goswami clarified, “The speaker, Mr. Deb, did not target any individual or private life in his speech. The allegations are unfounded as no unverified statements were made.” He further addressed the specific paragraphs cited in the notice.
Regarding paragraph 5, Goswami stated, “Mr. Deb did not mention any names; it was Shri Sudip Roy Barman who assumed the remarks were directed at him, possibly due to his earlier threats towards BJP candidates and workers. We chose to overlook those threats, but it seems Mr. Barman’s guilty conscience led him to feel targeted. We want to make it clear that there was no threat intended towards Mr. Barman.”
On the subject of paragraph 6 and the second complaint, Goswami emphasized, “The MCC allows for criticism of political parties based on their policies, programs, and past actions. The reference to the Communist rule in Tripura from 1978-88 and 1993-2018 was to highlight the violence and deaths associated with elections during that period. This is verified information and does not contravene the MCC.”
Goswami also highlighted the changes post-2018, “Since the BJP’s victory in 2018, elections from 2019 onwards have been peaceful, with no election-related deaths, marking a significant shift from the past.”
In a striking remark, Goswami accused the communists of betraying democratic values, “The communists’ party constitution aims for socialism and communism through a dictatorship state, which shows their disregard for the Indian Constitution and democracy. They have exploited the poor as a vote bank, keeping them impoverished and oppressed.”
The letter concludes with a call for the Returning Officer to verify the statements if deemed necessary, reinforcing the stance that the information presented by Mr. Deb is accurate and within the bounds of the MCC.
