The Trinamool Congress lodged a complaint with the police against BJP activists in Tripura over the recent attack on the convoy of party leader and MP Abhishek Banerjee. The TMC has also decided to take up the issue of violence in BJP-ruled Tripura, in Parliament.
Abhishek Banerjee had visited Tripura on August 2. He went to the famous Tripura Sundari Temple, in Udaipur district. His visit to the temple is being perceived as an attempt to woo the Hindu voters in the state, which has a large number of Bengali refugees from Bangladesh.
The Mamata Banerjee-led TMC is now eyeing the Northeast. The party has a limited presence in most of the Northeast states, except Sikkim and Mizoram. There was one TMC MLA in Khonsa in Arunachal Pradesh, and one in Manipur, who later switched over to the BJP. The party also has a small office in Tripura. It had one MLA in Meghalaya, who later turned independent. In Assam’s Bengali dominated Barak valley, TMC has significant presence.
So far, Mamata Banerjee wasn't too keen on expanding her base in the Northeast where political activities need to be carried under the close watch of the Indian Army. In states like Nagaland and Mizoram, high decibel political rallies are not the norm, and in Manipur, where Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) is in place, large gatherings are prohibited. Even protests in states in Northeast are held in a peaceful manner, something that major political outfits like the TMC are not used to.
It now appears like Mamata Banerjee has decided to once again expand her party's presence in the Northeast. Activist and Sibsagar MLA Akhil Gogoi, one of the major faces of the anti-Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) protests in Assam, had visited Kolkata and met with TMC leaders after his recent release from prison. They reportedly discussed possibilities of the TMC offering an alternative to the Congress, which had suffered a electoral setback in the state after the demise of Tarun Gogoi. The BJP, under the leadership of Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma, has been wooing many Congress leaders recently.
It may be tough for the TMC to find acceptance in Assam, except among Bengalis in Barak Valley and Brahmaputra Valley. Her objection to CAA has not gone down well with many people in Assam, and even in Tripura. She needs allies like Gogoi to help her gain acceptance among people in Assam. Nonetheless, it is hard for her to win over Muslims in Assam as AIUDF’s Badruddin Ajmal has a considerable clout among the Muslim population.
It may not be possible for the TMC to overcome the saffron surge in Northeast without the help of the Congress, which has a prominent presence in most of the states there.
