Congress harmed India more than British had done: Union minister Pratima Bhoumik

Agartala: Union Minister Pratima Bhoumik on Tuesday alleged that the Congress harmed the country more than the British had done.

Bhoumik, union minister of state for social justice and empowerment, also claimed that the way the erstwhile UPA government "indulged in corruption", people would not vote for the opposition bloc INDIA.

“The way the UPA had indulged in corruption, the people will never vote for the Congress. The Congress did more harm to the nation than the British rulers had done," she said.

The minister also exuded confidence that her party BJP would win by-elections to the Dhanpur and Boxanagar assembly constituencies in Tripura.

“We are sure of winning by-elections with huge margins. The electors of Dhanpur blessed me in the February assembly elections (2023) for the first time. This time too, there will be no exception”, the Bhoumik said.

She was speaking to reporters after casting her vote at a booth in Barnarayan HS School under the Dhanpur constituency.

Bhoumik, as a BJP candidate, had won the seat for the first time in the last assembly elections.

Her resignation as the MLA of Dhanpur necessitated the by-election to that seat.

Speaking on the Boxanagar assembly constituency where voting for the by-election was being held during the day, Bhoumik said, "In the last assembly elections, the CPI(M) had misled voters, especially minority ones but this time, we were able to remove their misconception about the BJP. We are confident of winning the seat this time," she said.

The minister also asserted that the country has emerged as a global leader after the successful landing of Chandrayaan-3 on the Moon.

"The successful lunar mission is the testimony that the country is moving towards growth and prosperity," she said.

The present government has "created an environment on all fronts to transform India into a global leader", Bhoumik added.