BY TC News Desk
Agartala, 22nd June 2025:Former Lok Sabha MP Shankar Prasad Datta today accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government in the state of targeting transport workers after coming to power in 2018, in a bid to consolidate its rule in the state.
The reaction of the former MP came after Transport Minister Sushanta Chowdhury have declared some restriction on the auto across the state especially in the Agartala city.
Speaking at the ninth conference of the Tripura Auto Rickshaw Workers’ Union held at Bhanu Ghosh Smriti Bhavan, Dutta alleged that soon after the BJP assumed power, the Left party’s office halls were shut down one after another and several party offices were even burned.
“The BJP government came to power and tried to weaken the transport workers’ movement. This was part of a larger strategy to ensure the party’s prolonged stay in power by suppressing dissent,” Datta claimed.
He further said that the BJP’s popularity is declining both in Tripura and at the national level.
“In the 2023 Assembly elections, the BJP received 11 percent fewer votes and secured fewer seats compared to 2018. Despite the ‘400 paar’ slogan, the BJP was stopped at 240 seats in the recent Lok Sabha elections,” he added.
Datta claimed that these numbers reflect a steady decline in public support for the saffron party.
Union leader Amal Chakraborty and other senior members of the Tripura Auto Rickshaw Workers’ Union were also present at the event.
