Tripura govt uses Kolkata flyover in poster; TMC mocks 'No well-kept roads in state?'

After facing backlash from the Opposition for using the image of a Kolkata road in a post of Tripura, the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party on Saturday issued a clarification stating that it was for a national-level competition, and the nation comprises all states. Speaking to the media, Tripura BJP’s chief spokesperson Subrata Chakraborty said the poster was aimed at making people aware of congested roads.

"Participate in the Motor Vehicle Driving Regulations Slogan Writing Competition for a chance to win a cash prize of Rs. 5,000," the tweet read. It had embedded in it a picture that featured yellow taxis on the road. To make it all the more evident, there were blue and yellow buses, a mode of transportation confined to Kolkata and certainly not a feature of Tripura.

TMC takes a dig at BJP

The ruling Trinamool Congress was quick to notice the misrepresentation. Taking to its official Twitter handle, TMC asked if the BJP-led Tripura government was claiming that roads featured in the said post are theirs. The Tweet further added, "Are there no well-maintained roads in Tripura? Has Biplab Dev really Neglected Development to this extent?"

Continuing the attack, the Tweet further read," Ridiculous how BJP repeatedly steals from the Bengal Model to showcase Mamata Banerjee's developmental work as theirs!"  Earlier, the Uttar Pradesh government got entangled in a similar issue after using a purported image of a Kolkata flyover in a full-page newspaper advertisement showcasing the achievements of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.

Following the backlash, The MyGov Tripura Twitter handle deleted the poster.

BJP sweeps Tripura Civic polls

It is pertinent to mention here that in the recently conducted civic polls in Tripura counting took place in 334 seats, including 222 seats of Agartala Municipal Corporation (AMC) and 13 municipal bodies, 51 wards in AMC, 12 municipal councils and six Nagar panchayats. 329 seats have been won by BJP, three by the Left front, one seat each have been won by Tipra Motha Party and Trinamool Congress (TMC) while Congress has failed to open the account. For the first time, Agartala civic body is in opposition less. BJP has won all 51 seats in AMC. 

Assembly polls in Tripura is scheduled to take place in 2023.

Image: ANI/PTI/Twitter