Agartala, Feb 11, 2023, IANS

Agartala, Feb 11 (IANS): Prime Minister Narendra Modi, while addressing an election rally in southern Tripura on Saturday, launched a scathing attack on the Congress and the CPI-M and asked people to remain alert of the twin swords of the two parties.

In his second election rally at Udaipur in Gomati district on Saturday, Modi said that in Kerala, the Left and the Congress are fighting against each other, but in Tripura they are fighting the elections together.

"The Congress and the Left always want the poor to remain poor. They always promote 'goondas' and corruption," the Prime Minister said.

In the February 16 elections to the 60-member Tripura Assembly, the CPI-M led Left Front and the Congress are contesting under a seat sharing deal by fielding 47 and 13 nominees, respectively.

Highlighting the development of Tripura, the Prime Minister said that if people see the Agartala airport, they would realise how much development has taken place in the state under the BJP rule.

Modi also said that mobile and internet connectivity has reached all parts of Tripura and now 4G services are being expanded as well.

Urging people to cast their votes in favour of the lotus symbol to ensure prosperity for all, Modi said that during Congress and CPI-M rule, lives of people from all sections, including businessmen, were shattered.

Tripura is now supplying electricity to Bangladesh, the Prime Minister said, adding that the BJP government has provided free electricity to 3.50 lakh families while four lakh households are getting piped water.

Alleging that the CPI-M workers looted the ration of the poor people, the Prime Minister said that the Central government had provided funds, but the then Left government in the state was not sincere enough to construct pucca houses for the poor.

After the BJP government came to power in Tripura, construction of concrete houses for the poor people started, Modi said, adding that the BJP-led government has increased the social pension of people to Rs 2,000.

Highlighting his government's mission for the all-round development of the tribal people, the Prime Minister said the previous government at the Centre had allocated Rs 25,000 crore in the Budget for tribals' development, which the present government increased to Rs 1 lakh crore.

Tribals' development has been emphasised in the BJP manifesto for the Tripura elections as well, Modi said.

He added that as the BJP always thinks about tribals' welfare, in the recent Assembly elections in Gujarat, 100 per cent tribal reserve seats were won by his party.

In Tripura, natural rubber cultivation areas are being expanded by the Rubber Board so that rubber industries can be set up in the state to meet the huge demand for natural rubber in the country, the Prime Minister said.

Earlier on Saturday, Modi had addressed his first election rally at Ambassa, the headquarters of Dhalai district.

BJP sources said that the Prime Minister is likely to address another election rally in Agartala on Monday (February 13), a day before the end of the campaign for the February 16 Assembly polls.