Tripura is finally free from the clutches of communism, under which it has suffered for several decades. Tripura was under 25 years of uninterrupted rule by the left front, preceded by Congress dominance. The people of Tripura first got rid of the communists under whom the state of Tripura had deteriorated courtesy the burden of their personal interests and agenda. Now, the new BJP government has demolished the legacy of the left front in a single blow, by playing the national anthem for the first time in the Tripura Assembly. The heartening event unfolded during the first session of the newly elected assembly, which began with the election of the speaker Rebati Mohan Das. The newly elected house met at 11 to conduct the elections for a new speaker. The national anthem was finally played, and all those present displayed true respect to the anthem. This suggests that despite more than two decades of rule, communism has not been able to ideologically brainwash the people of Tripura. All the ministers, journalists, members and spectators stood up to the national anthem when it was played.
Moreover, assembly secretary Bamdeb Majumdar stated that this might not be a one-time thing, and that they will try to play the national anthem every day. He clarified that he was not aware of whether the national anthem was played in any other assembly of the country. It must be borne in mind that there is no protocol mandating that the national anthem be played before a parliament session or a legislative assembly session. However, there isn’t any restriction on playing the national anthem either. Therefore, the playing of the national anthem before any assembly session is quite common, and not a rarity by any stretch of the imagination. In fact, the decision reached by the Tripura assembly authorities might create a healthy protocol, and other assemblies might also emulate Tripura in this respect.
It is bewildering that the national anthem was not played in the Tripura assembly since 1972, when Tripura was converted into a state from a union territory. It is quite clear that the left front, which has been in power for 25 of the 45 years of Tripura’s electoral history, is the main culprit. Even the previous Congress regime was no better, but it was the left front which left no stone unturned in trying to alienate Tripura from the rest of India. The very foundation of communism is an antithesis to nationalism. In India, it is rare that a communist regime tries to instill a sense of national pride in the people that it governs. In fact, it is often noted that the communists try to imbibe a sense of hatred towards the mainstream. It seems that in the case of Tripura too, there was an attempt to alienate the people of Tripura from the national mainstream.
CPM MLA Badal Chaudhary has unabashedly politicized even this welcome move, and has criticized the assembly authority for playing the national anthem without consulting the opposition. The question that arises here is why it is even necessary to consult the opposition to play the national anthem of India in India. It seems that the communists have not been able to digest this bitter loss and are still treating Tripura as their personal property. However, it must be made clear to them that Tripura, like any other state, is an integral part of India and the national anthem will be played not only once but whenever appropriate, without consulting the Lenin brigade.
The BJP has dealt a telling blow to the left front. It is no longer a secret that communists survive only by isolating the local people and then ideologically brainwashing them against India in their effort to create a stateless society. However, by winning over the hearts of the people of Tripura and instilling national pride in the people of Tripura right from the beginning, the government has ensured that the communists will lose whatever marginal popularity they might have still enjoyed in the state.