Tripura: CPM offices torched in Pratima village

AGARTALA: When the people of Tripura have been celebrating the induction of daughter of the soil Pratima Bhoumik for the first time into the central cabinet on Wednesday, a group of miscreants of her native village Baranarayan of Sonamura in Sepahijala district allegedly ransacked and torched two party offices of the Opposition CPM.


The CPM, in a statement, alleged that a group of

miscreants belonging

to the BJP set two of their party offices on fire in the hometown of Bhoumik while celebrating her induction into the Union cabinet. Her followers and BJP cadres erected a giant screen in the local market of Baranarayan and organised a big gathering to watch the swearing* in ceremony, violating Covid curfew, it alleged.

An alleged group of inebriated BJP cadres attacked the CPM paily office in Baranarayan market, ransacking it and damaging the furniture. Later, they attacked the party office at Dhanpur from where former Chief Minister Manik Sarkar got elected. The miscreants had also ransacked the Dhanpur party office before setting it on fire, the statement added.

However, an angry and upset Bhoumik told police to investigate the incident and take immediate action against the accused persons. “I have personally inquired into the incidents and found none of our BJP workers is involved in it. I am sure that some Opposition goons did mischief to defame me and my party out of jealousy to spoil the historic day.”

Meanwhile, happiness swept across Tripura after Pratima Bhoumik joined as minister of state for social justice and empowerment on Thursday at Shastri Bhawan.

A first-time MP elected in 2019 as a BJP nominee, Bhoumik is a down-to-earth politician and comes from a humble farmers’ family in the bordering town of Sonamura in Sepahijala district of West Tripura. She graduated in life science from Women’s College of Agartala.

After obtaining her degree in 1991, Bhoumik had gone back to the village to support her father in farming and small business. Besides household assignments she was attracted to the activities of Rastriya Sevak Sangh (RSS) and subsequently got involved in the BJP. She is one of the few oldest leaders of the BJP in Tripura.

Tripura has been represented in the

Union council of ministers only twice

before Pratima Bhoumik after merger with Indian Union in 1949. Former vice-chancellor of Jadavpur University Dr Triguna Sen, had been nominated as member of Rajya Sabha from Tripura twice in 1967 and 1968. Later on he became the Union education minister.

Afterwards, Congress stalwart of Assam’s Barak Valley, late Santosh Mohan Deb, was elected twice from Tripura in 1989 and 1991 and he had been made the Union minister of state for steel (independent charge) till 1996.