Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday asserted that the Trinamul Congress would come to power in Tripura after the 2023 Assembly polls despite alleged efforts by the BJP government in the northeastern state to thwart her party’s rise there.

“We cannot be stopped like this. Tripura, we will win next,” the Bengal chief minister said when she was asked at a press conference about alleged harassment of Trinamul leaders in Tripura.

“Because we want the Bengal schemes to start in Tripura. Tripura’s people, too, should get the same benefits… we want the people of Tripura too to stay well,” she added.

The questions at the press meet at Nabanna were in reference to the latest allegations from Trinamul youth wing chief Saayoni Ghosh.

In a series of tweets, the actor-turned politician alleged hours of power cuts at a hotel where she and other Trinamul leaders stayed in Tripura, ill-treatment by the management, disallowing political discussions in its restaurant and even sub-standard food being served to Trinamul leaders.

The Bengal chief minister said: “They are not even allowing them to stay in hotels, there too they are disturbing them.” “This is too much. There isn’t even the d of democracy, the l of loktantra … of law and order, neither is there order, nor law. Totally out of order. Goondaism, vandalism is on.”

Mamata said former Speaker of the Tripura Assembly Jiten Sarkar — with stints in several political parties in the state — wrote to her, expressing his intention to join Trinamul, along with several others. She said the letter had been forwarded to her nephew, Trinamul’s national general-secretary Abhishek Banerjee.

Referring to the alleged attack on Trinamul MPs Dola Sen and Aparupa Poddar in Tripura on Sunday — the latest in a series of such incidents in the northeastern state — Mamata said she didn’t want to get into all the details.

“Whatever violence they have been perpetrating is for all to see. Head injuries to the (Bengal) police, head injuries to women MPs,” said the Trinamul chief.

“Our party sought time from the governor (of Tripura, Satyadev Narayan Arya), which wasn’t given. It was said that time would be given after August 15. But the governor here (Jagdeep Dhankhar), the BJP’s leaders go and sit with him every day. Sorry to say,” she added.

“Our governor (Dhankhar) gives more time to them (the BJP, the Opposition in Bengal). It has to be said that our governor is good. That is why he gives the BJP time every day. Every evening, he sits down for discussions with them.”

On Wednesday, the High Court of Tripura refused to stay the operation of a suo motu FIR filed by Khowai police, accusing six Trinamul leaders, including Abhishek, of obstructing public servants from discharging their duty.

A bench of Chief Justice A.A. Kureshi also directed the police to continue with their investigation but not to file the final report without the leave of the court.

The court passed the order after hearing a petition filed by Subal Bhowmik to stay the investigation and also quash the case registered against him.