People's Democracy

TRIPURA

People Will Foil All Conspiracies Against The Party

ADDRESSING a meeting in Agartala Town Hall on �the present political situation in West Bengal� on January 29, 2009, Biman Basu, Polit Bureau member of the CPI(M) and West Bengal state secretary, said that the forces resorting to autocratic violent path and launching heinous conspiracies to dislodge the Left led government in West Bengal are destined to find their place in the dustbin of the history.

He cited numerous historic antecedents of machinations against Indian communists hatched up by the imperialists, right from Patrick Moynihan�s �A Dangerous Place,� wherein the author divulged CIA�s cash investment through the Congress party to resist the growth of communists once in Kerala in 1959 and later on in West Bengal in 1971 to the Purulia arms dropping incident in 1995, just a year before the 1996 assembly elections in the state. Biman Basu apprehended that a far bigger conspiracy is in operation behind the present irresponsible moves of the opposition to reign in autocracy, lawlessness and violence to dislodge the Left Front government.

The seventh Left Front government came to power in 2006, with a bigger mandate of the people, both in respect of votes and seats, frustrating the nefarious designs of state�s opposition. This popular mandate in favour of the Left Front, which came in consecutively for seven terms, punctured the allegation of electoral manipulation made by the desperate opposition. Thus, they decided not to let the Left Front government any opportunity to function smoothly, Biman Basu said. While the seventh Left Front government attempted to implement their electoral pledges including industrialization, inviting some of the big capitalists to set up industries in state on certain terms and conditions, ensuring workers� interest, the opposition anticipated their dooms day. So, they decided to stall implementation of any pro-people programme undertaken by the government. In the name of democratic rights, they are resorting to most provocative moves like instantly blocking roads on flimsy pleas, cutting roads for indefinite period, slapping police officers, coating pitch to police officers� bodies, keeping the police staff confined under lock and key, thus inviting police to apply force or to open fire, Biman Basu said, and added, ironically, all these are being carried on in the name of �democratic rights�.

Giving statistics of the agricultural growth of the state, Biman Basu said, in the years 1958-61, average production of paddy was 46.06 lakh tons whereas in 2007-08 it has raised to 147 lakh tons. This year, 160 lakh tons paddy has already been produced excluding the Boro crop which would be harvested later on, against the year�s target of 172 lakh tons. Similarly, production of vegetables and other commercial crops also increased in similar proportions, he said and assured that we shall not suffer pain to see hungry men�s procession in next one century in West Bengal. Still we are not happy, Biman said. Agricultural land holdings are getting split. Comparatively small plot of land cannot absorb the entire work force of a family. Employment in agricultural field touched the saturated point. Thus industrialisation is an utter necessity, he explained. Lambasting the central government�s step-motherly attitude towards West Bengal in respect of giving license for setting up industries and facilitating other states by means of �tax-equation� policy, Biman Basu said, people of West Bengal had to launch a decade long ceaseless movement to get rid of these two barriers. Ultimately, these two barriers got naturally ineffective with the adoption of liberalisation policy by the central government.

Explaining the necessity of the private capital, Biman Basu said, no state government, whether an advanced or a backward one, is in a position to independently set up a large scale industry. While other states are competitively inviting the private capital, should we lag behind, though we have ample opportunities like harbour, coal, communication, skilled labour, etc.,he asked.

Lastly, Biman Basu expressed great concern that the Maoists and several sections of disruptive forces in the name of Gorkhaland, Kamtapuri, greater Jharkhand movement, are trying to divide the state and the most ominous sign is, all these forces are being patronised by the Congress, Trinamul Congress and a section of so-called intellectuals. They are wooing them only to gain a narrow political mileage, and are not at all concerned with the development of the state, he said. In conclusion, he strongly felt that the politically conscious democratic people of West Bengal shall foil all machinations against the Left Front government as they did earlier and throw these opportunist leaders into the dust bin of history.

Paying homage to the martyrs who laid down their lives in resisting the recent attacks against the Party in West Bengal, and offering �red salute� to the struggling comrades in west Bengal, Tripura state secretary Bijan Dhar said, CPI(M) is committed to consolidate the unity of the working people, rally them in the struggle against imperialist aggression, national bourgeoisie and in favour of socialist transformation. So, it is the common enemy of all vested interests. The on-going orchestrated attack on the Party in West Bengal from multiple directions is an attack on the whole Party. It must be challenged unitedly and Tripura people will always stand by West Bengal morally, materially and ideologically, Bijan Dhar said.

Aghore Debbarma, presiding over the meeting, urged that in the ensuing Lok Sabha elections, West Bengal and Tripura would contribute their best to form a non-BJP, non-Congress third alternative in the country.