People's Democracy

TRIPURA

Vibrant Rally of Students Vows

To Strengthen Fight for Alternatives

Ritabrata Banerjee

IN order to ensure education and job for all, there has to be a change in the central policies. In order to build a better India the fight for the alternatives is necessary. The Left in India has been fighting for the alternatives and SFI has to strengthen it and also play a decisive role in defeating the forces of reaction and anarchy. Former all India president of SFI and CPI (M) Politburo member Sitaram Yechury gave this clarion call to the students of Tripura who had assembled in large numbers at the huge open rally at Khowai Boys School ground on February 8.

The open rally was organised on the concluding day of the 17^th state conference of SFI in Tripura. Students clad in different colours and carrying flags of SFI and Tribal Students� Union poured in the ground. All roads of Khowai leading to the Boys School ground were under the control of disciplined and colourful student processions.

Apart from the main speaker Sitaram Yechury, former state president of Tripura SFI and CPI (M) Tripura state secretary Bijan Dhar, school education minister of Tripura, Tapan Chakraborty, SFI all India general secretary Ritabrata Banerjee, SFI all India vice president Nirmal Biswas, and newly elected SFI Tripura state secretary Nabarun Deb spoke at the rally. The chief executive member of autonomous districts council Ranjit Debburman, local MLA and chief whip of Tripura assembly, Samir Deb Sarkar and SFI West Bengal state president Sayandeep Mitra were present. The public meeting was presided over by the newly elected state president Nilanjana Roy.

Congratulating the vibrant gathering, Yechury said that in the last three decades he had not seen such a colourful rally. He said that the healthy faces and the huge appearance of the students in the rally bear testimony to the fact of Tripura being on the top of development among the north eastern states. He expressed hope that in the coming days the state will be able to be the top in the country in this regard. Yechury categorically said that the responsibility of tomorrows India is on the youth and the students. And they have to realise what type of a country is bestowed upon them as the legacy and the way in which they have to develop it. He said SFI has been consistently fighting for education and job for all in a country where seventy seven out of hundred students cannot reach the 12^th standard. He pointed out that this is not due to the lack of our intelligence or resources. Such conditions have been created due to the policies pursued by the Congress and the ruling classes. Yechury mentioned about two Indias within India. He said that Shining India has given birth to the largest number of billionaires in Asia in the last ten years and one of them had built a house by spending four thousand five hundred crores of rupees. On the other hand Suffering India is the witness of 77 per cent of the population earning less than twenty rupees a day. 50 per cent of the population does not receive adequate food. India stands tallest as far as deaths through malnutrition are concerned. 78 per cent of the mothers are anemic. In these circumstances if a new India is to be constructed there has to be a change in the existing conditions and hence the policies need to be altered.

Yechury mentioned about the last union budget which has given a tax concession of 4 lakhs 10 thousand crores of rupees to the corporate. But the amount would have paved the way for establishing schools in all villages of the country. It would have ensured hospital facilities to largest sections of our population. But the centre has refused to walk in those lines. Everyday people have to suffer the burden of the enormous price rise. He mentioned that in the recently conducted meeting of the chief ministers in this regard no concrete steps have been taken. Yechury pointed out that the blind Congress out of their pride is thinking that nobody can oust them from power. They have forgotten that the Rajiv Gandhi government having a majority 405 seats in the 1984 Lok Sabha elections was unable to retain power in the next general elections. If the government ignoring the interests of the common man considers the welfare of the capitalists as its priority then the people will be on the roads in the fight for change in policies.

Yechury said that the new India which SFI speaks of needs alternate policies and the fight for the alternative policies is being spearheaded by the Left. The Left Front government in Tripura is an example of how the alternate policies can be implemented. Yechury categorically mentioned that the US imperialism does not approve of this alternative policies and that is precisely the reason they had given directions for weakening of the Left in India and ousting of the Left Front government in West Bengal. Under their instructions the reactionary forces ranging from the Maoists to the TMC have all joined hands together. He said that after the last parliamentary elections, 168 of Left activists have been killed in West Bengal. He added that the enemies must remember that the ideas and policies of the Left cannot be destroyed by killing its comrades.

Yechury noted that the anxious prime minister who considers the Maoists to be the biggest threat to the internal security of our country is sitting in meetings with chief ministers. But the prime minister is unable to answer that how the TMC ministers who are the aid of the Maoists continue in his own very cabinet? Actually he will not answer the question as the assistance of TMC is required for running his government. He added the answer has to be given by us. Along with the common people, the forces of anarchy have to be combated. And the mammoth rally of Brigade in Kolkata had proved that the people are getting ready to give a fitting rebuff. Yechury said that in the coming days the contradictions are going to increase more and in order to strengthen the fight for the alternatives the SFI has to play a leading role. He pointed that the meanings of Independence, Democracy and Socialism hold a greater significance today. He expressed that in this fight the militant students and youth of Tripura will play their glorious role.

Addressing the gathering, CPI (M) state secretary and former student leader Bijan Dhar called upon the people to make the Left Front victorious in all the seats of the ensuing ADC elections. He said during the Congress regime the students in Tripura had to fight for minimum educational facilities. Today the situation has changed and in the state conference of SFI students are congratulating the Left Front government for its policies of education expansion. Dhar alleged that the Congress is helping the separatist and terrorist forces in different areas. He added that earlier due to terrorist problems many schools could not be opened in the tribal areas of the state. There is a change in the situation now and people have vowed not to revert the situation. Dhar mentioned that education movement cannot only be the agenda of SFI and thus everybody has to be a part of the fight for ensuring education for all.

State Education minister and former student leader Tapan Chakraborty said that the state government is doing its level best for the expansion of education in Tripura. Every year new schools are being opened.  Free books and scholarships are being provided to the majority of students. He also mentioned about the initiatives taken by the government regarding higher education in the state.

SFI all India general secretary Ritabrata Banerjee mentioned about the anti student, anti education policies of the UPA 2 government. Pointing about the unilateral moves of the HRD minister Kapil Sibal he urged the students to strengthen movements at campus levels against commercialisation and centralisation tendencies. He mentioned about the fight of SFI in Bengal where amidst anarchy and severe attacks the organisation has been able to win 188 college and university union elections out of 3oo. He also congratulated the students of Tripura for making SFI victorious in all the seats of the 15 college union elections in the state.

SFI all India vice president Nirmal Biswas called upon the students to strengthen the democratic environment in the campuses of the state.  The meeting concluded with a high note of strengthening struggles for a better tomorrow.