Clarifying on the charge of an ‘unholy alliance’, as termed by the BJP, between the Communist Party of India (Marxist) and the Congress in the upcoming assembly election in Tripura, former Chief Minister and CPI(M) leader Manik Sarkar said that the tie-up is an ‘understanding.’

“There is no political alliance but seat-sharing in the state,” Sarkar, who led the state for 20 years, told News18. The Left leader said the decision to work together stems from the fact that the Left Front is trying to defeat the BJP for the “greater good”.

“You see, in Tripura, the government led by BJP is dictated by the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). The people of Tripura know this and we have tried to draw the attention of others to this. In such a situation, our main objective is to defeat BJP for the greater good of our state,” he said.

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The veteran leader says that the situation in Tripura has regressed in terms of criminal activity, economy, corruption and freedom.

“Considering all these factors, it is important to remove the BJP government. We approached secular-minded parties for the same and the Congress reacted positively to our proposal,” Sarkar said.

Sarkar also addressed the seat-sharing issue between the Left Front and Congress. Congress announced that it is contesting 17 seats despite the Left Front allotting only 13 seats to the party. Sarkar said that the issue will be sorted before the February 2 deadline. “We have a positive approach and Congress leaders have also begun deliberations,” he added.

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While Sarkar is not contesting this time, the political warhorse has been working to help his colleagues in the election. Sarkar has also kept the door open for working with TIPRA Motha, but denied any business with the Trinamool Congress, its arch-rival in West Bengal. “The TMC is trying to divide the anti-BJP vote,” Sarkar said.

(Edited by : Sudarsanan Mani)