BY TC News Desk
Agartala, 24th October 2025: Former Chief Minister Manik Sarkar has criticized the recent bandh of Tripura Civil Society, saying it had indirect support from the government initially, though the Chief Minister later opposed it during a public office inauguration.
He noted that the BJP did not comment against the bandh.Speaking to reporters, Sarkar described the incident as provocative. He said, “No political party can single out a community—non-tribals, or Bengalis in this case—and attempt to deport them as foreigners. This is not the work of a political party; it falls under the responsibilities of the Home Ministry or the state home department. Individual parties should not be raising such slogans.”
He added that both the BJP and Tipra Motha are losing support among both tribal and non-tribal communities. “They are trying to divert public attention at this moment, and this bandh was an attempt to create larger chaos. However, people keeping shops open in peaceful markets eventually mitigated the situation. This was clearly a deliberate act,” Sarkar said.
Referring to past practices, he noted that the Left Front has also called for bandhs during its tenure and even now, but some shops and vehicles continued to operate. “It is a matter of personal choice for the public whether to support a bandh or not. In such cases, the Left Front has never attacked anyone. But resorting to violence to boycott a bandh is condemnable,” he said.
Sarkar demanded that the administration identify the accused and ensure exemplary punishment for those responsible.
