NDA N-E Policy: Tripura Governor With Hate Speech Past, Mizoram With 7 in 1 Year

NEW DELHI: “Hindus have always been running away from a fight...and it has been happening since centuries.”

“One exception was Gujarat,2002. I’m glad you appreciate what the Hindus did then.”

"Attack by Muslims on Hindus at Ghazipur, Bangladesh. Attack by Muslims on Hindus at Mallikpur, W Bengal, India. What awaits us Bengali Hindus?"

Hindus of West Bengal: either chuck yr 'secular','politically correct' values and polarise. Or prepare to be either annihilated or converted.”

"Congrats UP BJP fr bringing issue of Love Jihad to the fore. We in West Bengal must perhaps do the same to save hapless gullible Hindu girls.”

Hate speech for months instigating, targeting and being supplemented by even more vitriolic blogs. Tathagata Rao using the social media for these kind of views has finally been “rewarded.”He is the new Governor of Tripura.

Soon after his appointment this week Roy informed his 14000 following on Twitter "Thanks to all twipple who congratulated me. Please appreciate that I can't reply individually. And,alas,no more political tweets."

Politicians and civil society have come together under a #recalltathagataroy campaign.His posts, according to this campaign, are highly communal and a person holding such views cannot be appointed to a constitutional post.

Politically, Roy’s selection reportedly by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP President Amit Shah is the first firm indication of an all out battle against the CPI(M) led government in Tripura led by Chief Minister Manik Sarkar. Sarkar’s popularity extends to beyond communist party voters, and he is seen as the single most important reason for the survival of the Left government in the state. Shah set the ball rolling recently when in a speech he launched a blistering attack on Sarkar and the state government, making it clear that he would be driving the agenda for Tripura from the drivers seat.

The Governor is a former Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad member, and was with the BJP national executive before this controversial appointment.

Significantly the Governors Twitter handle @tathgata2 describes his politics as “Hindutva” and broadcasts his mission,”to preserve history of exodus of Hindus fm East Bengal.” Roy has now told the media that all this is of the past, and now as the Governor “I am a changed man.”

He is quoted as saying, "that was a different person, a political person, I said things which my politics dictated, my beliefs dictated. I don't regret them. But after becoming Governor, I have constitutional duties.”The Tripura government, sources said, is gearing up for the clear battle ahead.

The BJP that claims to have made the north east a priority area has not been able to get its act together in states other than Assam in real terms. Mizoram has seen seven Governors in the span of one year since Prime Minister Narendra Modi came to power. Arunachal Pradesh Governor Lt Gen (Retd) Nirbhay Sharma has been now appointed the Governor of Mizoram, and will be in place till his current term ends in 2018.

But since July 2014 the central government has been struggling with Mizoram that is clearly seen as a “punishment posting” by New Delhi. in July 2014 then Governor V.Purushothaman resigned when he was given orders to move to Nagaland as the Governor, saying he had not been consulted. Governor of Gujarat Kamla Beniwal who was at loggerheads with PM Modi when he was the Chief Minister of the State, was transferred to Mizoram as the Governor despite having just four months left in office. The 87 year old assumed office in August last year, but was almost immediately sacked for alleged misuse of state machinery.

Maharashtra Governor K Sankaranarayanan was appointed in her place, but he resigned, refusing take up the assignment.Sources at the time said that perhaps the BJP had hoped that Beniwal too would refuse to go to the north east but when she followed orders, she was sacked on what many in the Congress party in particular insisted were trumped up charges.

Over the next few months Mizoram was handled by former bureaucrat V K Duggal and former Delhi Police Commissioner KK Paul as an additional charge.

In December 2014, Uttarakhand Governor Aziz Qureshi was transferred to Mizoram, a posting that he did not refuse. So in March 2015, he too, was sacked.

Since then West Bengal Governor Keshri Nath Tripathi was holding additional charge of Mizoram.

Political leaders and civil society in Mizoram have been agitated over this visible “step” treatment of the state. In fact petitions were submitted to the BJP president Shah when he visited Aizawl about the rapid change of Governors in the state.