The BJP-led government at the Centre has started counting its last days, CPI(M) General Secretary M A Baby said on August 25, citing the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan following intense student protests in Delhi and the BJP’s defeat in the Bankipur Assembly by-election in Bihar. Speaking to the media after arriving at Agartala airport, Baby said the developments indicated growing public opposition to the BJP and a resurgence of the Left movement across the country.

He said Prime Minister Narendra Modi had continued to shield the Union Education Minister despite widespread criticism and protests over the “chaos” in the education system. However, the intensifying student movement in Delhi eventually forced Pradhan to resign. Organisations such as the Students’ Federation of India (SFI) and All India Students’ Association (AISA) also played a role in strengthening the movement, he said.

Baby said the BJP’s defeat in the Bankipur by-election in Bihar was another significant development. The constituency, part of Patna, had remained a BJP stronghold for nearly three decades. The by-election was held after BJP state president Nitin Nabin resigned from the Assembly seat, making the result particularly significant, he said.

“Taken together, these two developments show that the BJP has started counting its last days,” Baby said.

Asked about the BJP-Tipra Motha alliance in Tripura, the CPI(M) general secretary said the “so-called agreement” between the two parties had not been implemented and their demands had not been fulfilled. He claimed there were differences both between the two parties and within each of them.

“Their clashes during the ADC elections, which even led to physical confrontations, were visible to everyone,” Baby said, adding that the internal problems within the alliance would become more pronounced in the coming days.

Baby said the Left was emerging as an important political force in the current situation. The Left movement had gained momentum across the country, while workers’ and farmers’ movements were also becoming stronger in Tripura.

He expressed confidence that the growing strength of these movements would have a significant impact on the political situation in the days ahead.