Tripura Chief Minister Manik Sarkar seen briefing the media about ongoing Railway and road blockade by the Indigenous Peoples Front of Tripura (IPFT) in Agartala. (File)
While the indefinite railway and highway blockade called by the Indigenous People’s Front of Tripura IPFT) entered its ninth day, the state BJP on Tuesday ‘blocked’ the entry to residences of chief minister Manik Sarkar and several other ministers in the state capital protesting the alleged failure of the Left Front government to get the blockade lifted.
Hundreds of BJP leaders and supporters gathered in front of chief minister Sarkar’s residence in the Marx-Engels Sarani in the heart of Agartala on Tuesday morning and squatted on the pavement, raising slogans against the Left Front government. BJP workers also blocked the entry to residences of seven other ministers located on the same road as that of the chief minister.
The BJP workers and supporters led by state president Biplab Deb and state BJP ‘prabhari’ (in-charge) Sunil Deodhar also held the Left Front government responsible for the ‘anarchy’ prevailing in the land-locked state since the IPFT had called an indefinite blockade of the state’s lone National Highway and railway line on July 10. The BJP state unit has fixed a 48-hour deadline beginning 5 AM of Tuesday for the Left Front government to get the IPFT blockade lifted.
While hundreds of trucks carrying essential commodities including foodgrain and petroleum products to Tripura are stranded, the Northeast Frontier Railway has cancelled all trains to and fro Agartala since the blockade began. Prices of essential commodities have also shot up, reports from Agartala said.
Meanwhile, a delegation of the IPFT which is currently in the national capital, is scheduled to hold a discussion with Kiren Rijiju, union minister of state for home affairs. The IPFT has been demanding an assurance from the Centre on their demand for a separate ‘Twipraland’ state for the indigenous tribal communities of Tripura. (ends)
