People's Democracy

TRIPURA

19th State Conference To Be Held In August

Haripada Das

CPI(M), Tripura state committee gave a call to all its units to further consolidate the landslide electoral victory in the February 23, 2008 assembly elections politically and organisationally. At the same time, state committee urged upon the Party workers to upgrade the style of functioning in the elected local bodies, ensure transparency and accountability in work in all levels and strictly adhere to the class outlook in selecting beneficiaries to win over the masses still clinging to the wrong camp. In a press release, state committee informed the decisions adopted in its two-day session on April 25-26, 2008.

The state committee adopted a review report on the recently held 10^th legislative assembly where Left Front gained a spectacular victory. The elections are significant in many counts. According to the election experts, Tripura elections have been admitted to be the best of all elections ever held in the country in the past. Cent percent electors were enrolled in the voters� list and all of them were provided with photo identity cards. A record 93.01 percent voters exercised their franchise. In a state of 60 assembly constituencies, 72 central observers and as many as 707 micro observers were deputed by the election commission to oversee the electoral process. State police and TSR jawans were kept totally aloof from polling booth as well as the counting halls which were exclusively manned by CPMF. The election was held in a most free, fair and peaceful atmosphere having not a single complaint from any quarters. The democratic-minded, peace-loving people, tribals and non tribals aspiring for development decisively reposed their faith on the Left Front for the sixth time with more seats and higher percentage of votes.

This popular mandate was the positive reflection of the Left Front�s relentless struggle against the anti-people policies of the UPA government, the achievements of the Left Front government in strengthening the security measures to protect lives and properties of the people against extremist onslaughts, widespread people�s welfare initiative of the Left Front government, implementation of innumerable developmental schemes, particularly in the tribal dominated areas. On the other hand, the Congress and INPT were suffering erosion for their negative approach and anti people activities. This time, the Left Front polled 1.89 lakh more votes than they polled in 2003 assembly elections. Congress party being at the helm of the UPA government at the centre, tried their best to make use of their position in centre to influence the people�s mandate in their favour. Congress also resorted to utilise the extremist outfits through their electoral ally, INPT, which is commonly known to be the facet of the outlawed extremists. Taking unfair means, Congress distributed huge cash and kinds to allure the electorates. Religious fundamentalists were also rallied against the Left Front to mislead the people. A section of hired media ceaselessly dished out anti-Left Front canards and fabricated stories against the CPI(M) and Left Front. All India leaders of the Congress party, during their electoral campaign in the state, instead of confining themselves to the policy matters, resorted to degraded mudslinging and also tried to influence the election commission with a view to get a favour from it.

The people of Tripura had frustrated all evil designs of the Congress-INPT combine and set an example of a highly political consciousness through reposing the Left Front for the sixth term with a positive mandate. Defying the terror and threat of the extremists, the people elected the Left Front candidates in 19 out of 20 ST reserved seats while they elected Left Front candidates in all the seven SC reserved constituencies. Behind the Left Front�s splendid victory mothers and sisters of the state played a pivotal role. Left Front was able to wrest 12 seats from the Congress alliance. However, Left Front lost four sitting seats to the Congress. State committee offered the people its revolutionary greetings for making Left Front so splendidly victorious in the last Assembly election. Party promises to the state populace to uphold the trust they put in the Party.

As a next course of programme for consolidating this landslide victory, the Party will chalk out time-bound programme for development of tribal areas, intensify political-ideological campaign against the extremism to repatriate the misguided youth still adhering to the wrong path, relentless movement will be carried on against the anti-people policies pursued by the central government and for raising the constitutional power of the state. Party will also make sustained efforts to strengthen ideological struggle against fundamentalism and imperialism.

State committee also finalised the schedule of 19^th state conference which will be held on August 3-5, 2008 in Agartala. The conference will commence through an open rally on August 3. Preceding the state conference, local and divisional conferences will be completed by June and July respectively. According to administrative demarcation of areas, three divisional committees will be bifurcated to form new three DCs, namely Teliamura, Santirbazar and Ambassa. It has also decided to form new 23 local committees in the state.

State committee expressed deep concern over the outbreak of bird-flu virus, present dry spell resulting in spread of various water-borne diseases, scarcity of water both for drinking and irrigation in some parts of the state and urged the people to cooperate with the government agencies and the local bodies in effectively managing these problems. State committee urged upon the Party workers to urgently involve themselves in this work of crisis management.

State committee strongly condemned the killing of two Party comrades, namely Tapan Roy, Kamalpur local committee member and Kamalpur Nagar panchayat chairman and Sunil Debbarma of Sidhai area. State committee expressed deep sympathy towards the bereaved families.

State committee remembered Comrade Purnamohan Tripura, a veteran communist and permanent invitee member of the state committee of Longthorai and Kinaram Chakma, district committee memeber of Gandachhara.