People's Democracy

Seal Tripura-B’desh Border, CPI(M) Demands

RARING to return the Left Front to power, with a resolute resolve to press ahead with the Left Front government’s multifarious programmes for the state’s development, and with their rigid repugnance to the barbaric terror tactics of the Congress-INPT combine, the people of Tripura will foil the ongoing collaboration of this combine with the ISI-sponsored outlawed NLFT extremists to devastate democracy in Tripura. This was the firm faith expressed by the CPI(M)’s spokesman and state secretariat member Gautam Das at a press conference held on February 4 at the party’s state headquarters.

Das said the fourth Left Front government’s spectacular successes in upholding development and democracy against tremendous odds have fuelled the people’s faith and at the same time whetted their appetite for a new horizon of peace and prosperity under the Left Front regime. Such a massive trust and expectation of the people has reinforced the Left Front’s support base, giving it an invincible political and organisational edge. This is what the overwhelming response the Left Front activists have received during their ongoing door to door campaign across the political spectrum, has revealed, Das affirmed.

Giving specific instances, Das pointed out that not a single supporter has parted ways with the Left Front to join forces with the Congress-INPT combine. On the contrary, since the announcement of poll schedule on January 11 till February 2, above 1200 people have severed their ties with the Congress, and about 400 have departed from the INPT.

Das also released at the press conference a letter from the Left Front convenor Baidyanath Majumder, addressed to J M Lyndoh, the chief election commissioner. Majumder has labelled in this letter serious and specific allegations against 4 INPT candidates, namely Nagendra Jamatia, Rajeswar Debbarma, Narendra Debbarma and Ananta Debbarma, who have been actively collaborating with NLFT extremists in their campaign of terror targeted against the Left Front’s, especially the CPI(M)’s, activists and supporters. Majumder then urged the Election Commission to prevent such dangerous elements from stalling the democratic poll process in the state, by immediately inquiring into and taking appropriate steps against the anti-national activites of the Congress-INPT combine, including the 4 said INPT candidates. He has also apprised the Election Commission of 32 incidents of extremist attack in the state, taking a heavy toll --- 23 CPI(M) activists and supporters have been killed, several others have been injured and kidnapped and the houses of some others set aflame since January 11 till date.

Majumder also pointed out in the letter that INPT candidate Rajeswar Debbarma is one of those INPT leaders and members of the INPT-controlled Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council (ADC), who had already been chargesheeted by the police in a court case. They are guilty of sending, in August 2001, 64 college students of Agartala to NLFT camps in Bangladesh territory for training in arms and explosives with a view to dislodging the democratically elected Left Front government of Tripura. Majumder also informed the Election Commission that, following the bail the court of subdivisional judicial magistrate of Amarpur in South Tripura granted to some of the accused in this case of treason on February 1, INPT legislator and candidate in Ampinagar copnstituency of Amarpur, Nagendra Jamatia held a secret meeting with them. Immediately thereafter they unleashed a terror campaign in the constituency, with armed NLFT extremists warning Left Front activists and supporter against exercising their franchise. Majumder also cited the instance of the INPT candidates Ananta Debbarma and Narendra Debbarma (former station director of All India Radio at Agartala) who have secretly visited the NLFT camps in Bangladesh territory time and again. Narendra Debbarma made such illegal visits even when he held the post of AIR station director. The central security and intelligence agencies posted in Tripura are aware of such visits by Ananta Debbarma and Narendra Debbarma, Majumder pointed out.

In view of the circumstances, Majumder made a fervent appeal to the Election Commission to prevent the devastation of democracy in Tripura by doing the needful for dispatch of adequate military and paramilitary personnel to completely seal the 856 km long border line with Bangladesh.  A copy of the letter has been forwarded to the union home minister cum deputy prime minister L K Advani. (INN)