TMC’s MP Sagarika Ghose Demands President’s Rule in Tripura After Protests Turn Violent; State BJP Says “Clean Your Own House First”

Agartala: When violence broke out during what started as peaceful protests against the Waqf Amendment Bill 2025 at Kailasahar in the Unakoti district of Tripura, the political fallout was swift and intense. The unrest quickly spread across social media drawing strong reactions from national leaders and escalating into a sharp online confrontation between the Trinamool Congress (TMC) and the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

The protests, initially calm, turned chaotic as clashes reportedly erupted between demonstrators and law enforcement in Kailasahar. Local reports indicate that tensions flared over allegations of pelting stones, and throwing slippers, and shoes at the police and TSR jawans.

However, as videos and images of the unrest spread online, political leaders across the country started reacting publicly. Among the first to comment was TMC MP and Deputy Leader in the Rajya Sabha, Sagarika Ghose.

Taking to her official X (formerly Twitter) handle, Ghose posted a direct attack on the BJP’s state and central leadership. She wrote, “The Waqf Amendment Bill 2025 protests turn violent in ‘double engine’ Tripura.”

Tagging the BJP’s main X account and Tripura Chief Minister Prof. (Dr.) Manik Saha, she questioned, “Why is the BJP government not taking strict action against widespread violence in Tripura? Why no calls for President’s Rule?”

Ghose’s remarks didn’t stop there. She accused the BJP of a “double failure” under Chief Minister Dr. Saha’s leadership, alleging that the state government’s inability to curb the violence exposed cracks in the much-touted “double engine” governance model, which emphasizes the synergy between BJP-led state and central administrations.

The #WaqfAmendmentBill2025 protests turn violent in “double engine” Tripura. Why is @BJP4India government not taking strict action against widespread violence in Tripura? Why no calls for President’s Rule ? Tripura =double failure by double engine government of Shri…

— Sagarika Ghose (@sagarikaghose) April 13, 2025

Also read | Stone Pelting, Lathi-Charge During Anti-Waqf Bill Protest In Tripura

Her remarks sparked an immediate and strong response from Tripura’s Food, Civil Supplies & Consumer Affairs Minister Sushanta Chowdhury, who led the BJP’s counteroffensive, dismissing Ghose’s allegations as “baseless theatrics.”

In a fiery post on his official X handle, Chowdhury wrote, “Your baseless theatrics are nothing but a desperate cry from an ignorant bystander. Tripura isn’t in chaos—it’s under firm, decisive governance.”

He further accused Ghose of “lazily” calling for the President’s Rule while ignoring the BJP’s efforts to tackle the violence head-on. “BJP is taking the hard line against violence, not indulging in your baseless double standards,” Chowdhury added, framing the TMC’s criticism as a distraction from their own political shortcomings.

Your baseless theatrics are nothing but a desperate cry from an ignorant bystander.Tripura isn’t in chaos—it’s under firm,decisive governance.

While you lazily call for President’s Rule,BJP is taking the hard line against violence,not indulging in your baseless double standards. https://t.co/rs1Oy8ZD3N

— Sushanta Chowdhury (@SushantaBJP) April 13, 2025

Chowdhury’s response reflects the BJP’s broader strategy to project strength and control in Tripura, a state where it has consolidated power since ending the Left Front’s 25-year rule in 2018. By emphasizing “decisive governance,” the minister sought to reassure supporters that the state government, under Chief Minister Saha, was fully equipped to handle the unrest without resorting to extreme measures like the President’s Rule.

Also read | Manipur: Waqf Amendment Bill Triggers Unrest, BJP Minority Leader’s House Set Ablaze

To further support Chowdhury’s stance, BJP State Executive Committee Member and Chairman of the Tripura Industrial Development Corporation Limited (TIDC) Nabadal Banik also responded publicly.

He went further, accusing the TMC of indulging in “appeasement politics” and failing to address governance issues in their home state of West Bengal.

“Unlike your appeasement politics, BJP takes action, not cover-ups,” Banik declared. “While your state burns in silence, even the Hon’ble Court had to step in and call for central forces.”

In a stinging rebuke, he added, “Hypocrites like you can’t hide your party’s failures by pointing fingers. Clean your own house first.” Banik’s reference to West Bengal’s own struggles with political violence and judicial interventions was a clear attempt to turn the tables on Ghose and the TMC, framing their criticism of Tripura as a case of deflection.

Hypocrites like you can’t hide your party’s failures by pointing fingers. Clean your own house first. (2/2)

— Nabadal Banik (@BJYMNABADAL) April 13, 2025

At the heart of the unrest lies the Waqf Amendment Bill 2025, a piece of legislation that has polarized opinion across India. Passed by both houses of Parliament and signed into law by President Droupadi Murmu on April 6, 2025, the bill introduces sweeping reforms to the management of Waqf properties, including mandatory audits, a centralized portal for property management, and provisions to safeguard women’s inheritance rights. Proponents, including the BJP, argue that the bill enhances transparency and curbs corruption in Waqf boards, which oversee vast tracts of land and assets dedicated to Muslim charitable purposes.

Also read | PAI Report Says Tripura Villages Are Neither Best Nor Worst

However, critics, including the TMC and other opposition parties, allege that the bill undermines Muslim autonomy and risks communal polarization. In Tripura, where communal tensions have occasionally flared, the bill’s passage has galvanized protests, with some groups claiming it threatens local Waqf properties. The violence in Kailasahar, though limited in scope, has amplified these concerns, providing opposition leaders like Ghose with ammunition to challenge the BJP’s governance credentials.