People's Democracy

TRIPURA

 CPI(M) Gears Up To Consolidate Rural Poll Gains

THE Tripura state committee of the CPI(M) has asked upon all its units to gear up their political-organisational drive to consolidate the ongoing polarisation of political forces throughout rural Tripura in favour of the Left Front. This polarisation was reflected in the massive mandate the Left Front received in the elections to the state’s three-tier panchayati raj held last month. At the same time, the party has decided to involve the people in the process of more transparently implementing the development programmes of the panchayat bodies, and to gear up the political, ideological and organisational drive against extremists. Right now, the party is making efforts to rally the people behind the 11-point charter of demands for the August 25-31 campaign, to be followed by massive anti-imperialist programmes on September 1 statewide.

At the outset, the party’s state committee meeting deeply condoled the demise of veteran communist leader Comrade Hiren Mukharjee, CPI(M) divisional committee  member Comrade Narendra Debbarma of Amarpur (South Tripura), the pathetic death of 90 students in the school conflagration at Kumbhakonam (Tamilnadu), and the death of numerous people of the recent floods in Assam, West Bengal, Bihar, Gujarat, Maharasthra and Punjub. The party deeply sympathised with the kith and kin of Comrade Abdul Hannan who was killed in the attack led by state Congress president Birajit Sinha at Kailashahar (North Tripura) and with the kinsmen of the 24 people killed by outlawed militant organisations NLFT and ATTF since the last session of the state committee.

Reviewing the July 18 panchayat polls in Tripura, the party extended revolutionary greetings to the people for giving a massive mandate to the Left Front on the one hand and trouncing the Congress party on the other. This time, the Left Front has won a larger number of seats than in the 1999 panchayat polls. The party also hailed the outstanding pro-active role of women in favour of the Left Front in this vital electoral battle.

The party statement said the Left Front government and the Left Front led panchayats were able to massively mobilise the people in rural Tripura, by virtue of the implementation of pro-people development programmes as also the transparency in the sphere of democracy and development. On the other hand, the Congress party’s undemocratic activities and anti-developmental outlook, as reflected in its rowdy role and anti-Left slander campaign with all-out assistance from a section of press, have miserably failed to mislead the state’s politically seasoned rural electorate and have all the more alienated that party from the people. The outlawed extremists, too, chipped in by carrying out a few killings as part of the conspiracy to trigger terror and turmoil with a view to disrupting free and fair polls. But everywhere the people’s alertness and extensive security arrangement foiled the extremists’ bid to disrupt the polls, the party pointed out.

At the same time, the CPI(M) reviewed the Left Front’s loss of a few incumbent gram panchayats this year due to organisational deficiency, and has decided to take appropriate political-organisational measures following a further round of review later. However, endeavour is to gear up all levels of the party organisation to involve the people more extensively in the process of transparently implementing the multifarious development programmes of the panchayats, with a view to win over newer and newer forces.

The CPI(M) meeting noted with concern how the extremists, sponsored by internal and international vested interests, are trying to intensify their violent atrocities, killings and kidnappings in view of the elections to the Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council due next year, despite their considerable emasculation since the last assembly elections in the state. So the party laid stress on united all-out endeavour of all sections of the peace and progress oriented people to intensify pressure on the centre for requisite assistance towards reinforcing security in the state.

Finally, the CPI(M) has asked its units to take immediate initiative to massively organise meetings and rallies at local and panchayat levels, as part of the Central Committee’s countrywide campaign call to press the 11-point charter of demands. It also called for organisation of meetings and rallies against imperialism and war on September 1. (INN)