People's Democracy

Left Front Holds Massive Rallies

BRAVELY defending democracy against fissiparous forces, as the people  and the Left Front are confronting head on the Congress-ultra combine’s move to hijack the February 26 assembly polls in Tripura, the Left Front’s February 14 rallies gave it further boost in this confrontation. Addressing these huge rallies, CPI(M) Polit Bureau members Prakash Karat, Biman Bose and Manik Sarkar were in no doubt that the people would give a befitting rebuff to these anti-national forces and bring the Left Front back to power.

Among the numerous CPI(M)-Left Front rallies held on the day, the most spectacular was the central election rally in South Tripura. Held at the KBI school ground at Udaipur, the district headquarters, the prevailing mood was of a victory rally, although the poll verdict was then 15 days away. The huge participation in the rally, the way all roads in the town brimmed with virtually interminable streams of people headed for the rally ground, and the way the people affirmed their invincible unity against all sorts of heinous conspiracies established the Front’s moral victory ahead of the actual poll verdict.

Addressing the rally, Prakash Karat voiced firm faith that the assembly polls in Tripura would be a turning point in the history of independent India, giving the country a new boost in its strenuous struggle against the anti-national forces endangering our unity, integrity and sovereignty. He said it was the people’s massive mandate that fuelled the successive Left Front governments’ uphill drive for development and welfare, in the teeth of tremendous odds, and urged for yes-vote for a fifth Left Front government in Tripura, to pave the way for the state’s bright future and for a third alternative in the country.

On February 14, similar huge rallies were held in Belonia (South Tripura), Teliamura (West Tripura) and Kumarghat (North Tripura), addressed by Prakash Karat, Biman Bose and Manik Sarkar among others.

Meanwhile, even as additional security forces including the army are taking positions in several extremist-infested areas of Tripura and more are on their way for deployment in the state to ensure free and fair polls here in face of the NLFT terror campaign, extremists continued to make their last-ditch strikes on CPI(M) leaders and activists.

In pursuance of the INPT blueprint of violence against the CPI(M), BNCT extremists shot dead veteran CPI(M) activist Kinadhan Chakma in his house at Chawmanu under Longthorai Valley subdivision in Dhalai district on February 11 night. The BNCT is a group associated with the NLFT.

According to local people, the killing was a sequel to the local people’s refusal to participate in an INPT election meeting at Manikpur, Chawmanu, on the day. Extremists had already issued a dictate for such participation. The extremists also set afire the killed comrade’s house. A 12-hour Chawmanu bandh was observed later at the CPI(M) call to protest this dastardly killing.

Again, even during this 12-hour bandh, BNCT extremists raided the house of Aswini Kumar Chakma (40), a CPI(M) member, at Manikpur and shot him dead. This was followed by yet another 12-hour protest bandh in Manikpur areas. Thus the Chawmanu constituency in the state witnessed the dastardly killing of two CPI(M) activists in a span of three days. Local INPT candidate Shyamacharan Tripura is alleged to be behind this violence.

In another incident, NLFT extremists opened fire on a CPI(M) election booth office at Mungiyabari under Khowai subdivision, West Tripura, at about 9.00 p m on February 14, grievously injuring Monia Debbarma’s 10 years old son and Sushil Debbarma (32) Both Monia and Sushil are CPI(M) activists. Although the CRPF has a camp close to the said office, it made no retaliatory fire against the extremists. (INN)