Sunil Deodhar, the architect of BJP's Tripura win, said he had to work really hard to strengthen the party organisation to dislodge the 25-year-old Left Front government in the state. So much so that, Deodhar, by his own admission, had to make significant changes to his food habits in order to achieve this historic victory. The BJP state in-charge said he took to eating pork in order to build the party's base in Tripura.

In an interview to Aaj Tak reporter, Anuj Shukla, Deodhar said that the BJP won Tripura using "weapons" from Congress and Trinamool Congress. (Ninety per cent of BJP workers in Tripura are Congress defectors.)

However, Deodhar dismissed charges of compromising with the party's core ideology to win Tripura elections.

He also accepted that he never thought the party will perform so well in the elections. Deodhar said when he was called in by party's national president, Amit Shah, he was not sure it was possible to win Tripura.

However, his stay of over six months in the state convinced him that this was indeed possible as people were angry and tired of the Left rule.

To begin with, Deodhar started wearing the ethnic scarf that is traditionally worn by the tribes of Tripura. Small moves like this aimed at establishing a connect with the masses helped the party, Deodhar said.

He said that though he used to eat non-vegetarian food earlier too, he started eating pork only after reaching Tripura. Coming from Maharashtra, Deodhar said, it wasn't easy to make the changes. But he was quick to dismiss that eating pork was aimed at ensuring BJP's electoral success.

Deodhar said a win was never his aim. "Victories and losses don't matter to me," he said. He only wanted that people of Tripura should understand him. He started eating pork only to build a base for the party in the state.

Deodhar said being a part of the Sangh taught him to adopt the ways of the locals in the vent of visiting their habitats. Learning Bengali was also part of the efforts to win the trust of the people. Deodhar said he had some knowledge of Bengali before coming to Tripura, but dedicated himself to learning the language when he arrived in the northeastern state. He started listening to Bengali songs and hired a tutor for the purpose. A separate tutor was engaged by Deodhar to learn other languages spoken among the various tribes of the state. These moves helped establish a connect with the masses.

Deodhar also disclosed that the debate over beef ban hardly had an impact in Tripura, where the prevalent issue was the smuggling of animals from Bangladesh. Tripura's population comprises 90 per cent Hindus, and they mostly don't eat beef. Deodhar accused the CPM of spreading propaganda among the Muslims.

Deodhar also denied allegations that the BJP compromised on its ideology to win Tripura. "Seeking a separate state is not anti-national. Parties that we have tied up with have only demanded a separate state. There is no basis to link them with militant organisations. We convinced them to join hands with us by keeping our differences aside. Let's work together for the upliftment of tribals," he said.

He said that BJP performance in northeastern states is a positive signal that has gone out to the country. "The Tripura win has been celebrated in Kerala and West Bengal too," Deodhar said.

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