People's Democracy

TRIPURA

CPI(M) To Launch Movement For Food, Land And Employment

 Haripada Das

THE Tripura state committee of the CPI(M) has resolved to launch movements in the state on the issues of food, land and employment. It also decided to intensify mass struggle against the recent hike in the price of petrol and diesel.

The state committee made this announcement on June 27 following a two-day session on June 25-26. It also expressed its solidarity with the transport workers call for a 12-hour transport strike against petro price hike.

In a statement issued after the meeting, the state committee called upon the people to massively participate in the movement for food, land and employment, which will be undertaken throughout the state from the last week of July to first week of September this year. Before launching the movement, CPI(M) will carry out an extensive campaign programme on the issues, it was stated. This programme is part of the call given by the central committee for a nationwide movement on the issues of food, land and employment.

The Tripura state committee noted that the UPA government has, in violation of the CMP, taken no step towards strengthening the public distribution system, allotment of waste and surplus land to the landless, and generation of employment to the unemployed, both rural and urban.

While reviewing the national and state situation, the committee criticised the UPA government for not taking into account the Left parties alternative proposals regarding oil sector. It had instead followed the same usual practice of burdening the people by hiking the price. The CPI(M) committee felt that this decision of the government would have a negative effect on the road, rail and air transport sectors. All this would result in the essential commodities becoming out of reach for the poor. The CPI(M) resolved to organise protest demonstrations against this hike in all prominent places of the state.

On the situation in the state, the committee underlined the need to continue military pressure as well as the ideological campaign against the extremists although their outfits are cornered to a large extent. It urged the people to come forward to actively cooperate with the security forces engaged in anti-extremist drive.  At the same time diplomatic pressure should be mounted on Bangladesh to flush out the north eastern extremists sheltered in their territory for secessionist cause. In some parts of the border areas, Bangladeshi miscreants are committing crimes inside India by intruding across barbed wire fence. To contain these border crimes, a coordinated effort of the security forces of both the countries is necessary, the state committee opined. It also demanded early completion of the fencing in the rest of the areas in Tripura-Bangladesh border.

The state committee expressed serious concern over growing atrocities on women in the state and felt that resistance against such social evil shall have to be raised by both men and women to give exemplary punishment to the offenders.

The state committee further called upon the Party units to make an all out preparations to ensure the Party’s victory in the Nagar Panchayat and Agartala Municipal Council elections which are due in December, 2005.