Tripura Assembly elections 2018: Brinda Karat joins poll campaign, says BJP can't buy locals

Agartala: Communist Party of India (Marxist) leader Brinda Karat joined the party's campaign in poll-bound Tripura on Monday.

“Forty thieves of Alibaba can be bought by the money, but you can not buy the people of Tripura,” said Karat while addressing a public rally in Jirania.

Brinda Karat from a Election rally in Jirania, Tripura: Forty thieves of Alibaba can be bought by the money, but you can not buy the people of Tripura.#Left4Tripura#Vote4LeftFront pic.twitter.com/UYMGLQGAka — CPI (M) (@cpimspeak) February 12, 2018

On Sunday, Karat addressed campaign rallies in Tripura's Simna and Mohanpur Constituencies. She pointed out how BJP-IPFT's only motive is to divide the people and create unrest.

“But this agenda will not succeed in Tripura and people will give them a fitting reply,” said Karat.

Meanwhile, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) chief Amit Shah on Monday said the Congress is helping the ruling CPI-M in Tripura by splitting the non-Left vote share in the upcoming polls.

"Congress is practically helping the CPI-M (Communist Party of India-Marxist) by splitting the non-Left vote share in Tripura. However, it would not be an obstacle for Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to come to power in the state after the next week`s assembly elections," Shah told the media here.

"BJP had little base in Manipur and Assam, but we came to power there. Similarly, our party did not have an adequate base in Tripura earlier and the BJP got a very small percentage of votes previously (BJP secured 1.54 per cent votes in 2013 polls) in Tripura. This time BJP is a big political force... continuously expanding its base," Shah said.

"Prime Minister Narendra Modi`s popularity and BJP`s performance helped the party to expand its base in newer areas and all the regions of the country."

Tripura Assembly elections will be on February 18, counting of votes on March 3. The CPI (M) has been in power for the past 25 years, with incumbent Chief Minister Manik Sarkar at the helm for the past 19 years. He held the term for the fourth time after the party swept away the 2013 Assembly elections.