People's
Democracy
(Weekly Organ of the Communist Party of
India (Marxist) No. 50
December 22,2002
(Weekly Organ of the Communist Party of
India (Marxist) |
Vol.
XXVI No. 50 December 22,2002 |
LF Has An Edge Despite Congress-Ultra Bonding: Karat
ON
December
2,
CPI(M)
Polit
Bureau
member
Prakash
Karat
voiced
his
deep
confidence
in
the
bright
electoral
prospects
of
the
Left
Front
in
Tripura
and
deep
concern
over
the
far-reaching
implications
of
the
blatant
bonding
of
a
nationalist
secular
party
like
the
Congress
with
the
political
agents
of
outlawed
extremists
in
the
state
for
the
future
of
the
country’s
democracy,
integrity
and
sovereignty.
Karat
said
this
while
addressing
a
press
conference
at
the
CPI(M)
state
headquarters
on
the
sideline
of
his
participation
in
a
two-day
meeting
of
the
party’s
state
committee.
CPI(M)
state
secretariat
member
and
the
editor
of
its
state
organ,
Gautam
Das,
accompanied
him
at
the
press
conference.
Informing
the
press
that
the
party
organisation
is
fully
geared
up
for
the
coming
assembly
polls,
Karat
affirmed
that
the
overall
state
scenario
is
largely
in
favour
of
the
Left
Front.
There
is
the
people’s
massive
enthusiasm
and
involvement
with
the
fourth
Left
Front
government’s
comprehensive
programmes
for
Tripura’s
development,
with
thrust
on
the
development
of
its
backward
and
minority
communities,
tribal
and
non-tribal.
Prakash
Karat
expressed
resentment
over
the
centre’s
dilly-dallying
on
the
insurgency
problem,
the
fundamental
problem
of
the
entire
north-east
including
Tripura.
The
geo-political
atmosphere
here
is
quite
conducive
for
the
insurgents.
Appreciating
the
uphill
efforts
of
the
government
of
Tripura
to
combat
insurgency,
he
asked
the
centre
to
take
immediate
steps
to
save
the
north-east
including
Tripura
from
the
ferocious
fissiparous
forces.
It
is
exactly
these
forces
with
which
the
Congress,
the
sole
politico-electoral
rival
of
the
Left
Front
in
Tripura,
has
joined
hands
to
capture
the
state
assembly,
Karat
deeply
regretted.
He
said
that
instead
of
concentrating
its
campaign
on
the
political-ideological
issues,
as
befits
an
old
nationalist
secular
party,
the
Congress
is
going
all
out
to
hijack
the
assembly
polls
at
extremist
gunpoint.
This
has
put
in
peril
the
unity
and
integrity
of
the
state
as
well
as
of
the
country
as
whole.
The
Congress
cannot
but
pay
a
heavy
price
for
such
a
grievous
gamble,
Karat
added.
Replying
to
the
newsmen’s
query
as
to
the
organisational
strength
of
the
CPI(M)
in
tribal
belts,
especially
in
view
of
the
May
2000
ADC
elections,
he
stated
that
extremists
are
fast
losing
ground
in
their
strongholds
as
evidenced
in
the
massive
participation
in
the
three
central
rallies
of
Tripura
Upajati
Ganamukti
Parishad
last
month.
Replying
to
another
question
as
to
whether
the
CPI(M)
is
just
cashing
in
on
the
INPT
supremo
Bijoy
Hrangkhawl’s
seditious
speech
in
Geneva
in
favour
of
the
outlawed
extremist
organisations
of
Tripura,
Prakash
Karat
said
the
CPI(M)’s
greatest
concern
in
this
regard
is
how
the
Congress
could
bring
itself
to
such
degradation
by
allying
with
those
whose
hands
are
smeared
with
the
blood
of
hundreds
of
the
innocent
people
of
Tripura.
(INN)
