People's Democracy

TRIPURA

Left Front Set to March to Victory Again

Haripada Das

WITH the elections to the ninth Tripura legislative assembly gradually coming closer, many issues favourable to the incumbent Left Front have emerged in the national as well as in the state political arena, and these should be extensively utilised in the election campaign in order to ensure the Left Front’s victory in the next elections and formation of its government for the seventh term. This was the call given by the CPI(M)’s Tripura state committee which met on October 31, 2012.

CPI(M) state secretary, Bijan Dhar, informed about the state committee’s deliberations at a press meet held at the party’s state office next day. On this occasion, he also appealed to the party, the Left Front and all their class and mass organisations to earnestly come forward to make all the upcoming protest movements against the anti-people neo-liberal measures of the centre successful, with massive participation. CPI(M) state secretariat member Gautam Das was also present at the press meet.

At the national level, the issues that have enraged the people in general are the chilling effects of recent hike in petro product prices, imposition of a ceiling on subsidised LPG cylinders, the agrarian crisis that has compelled lakhs of farmers to commit suicide, sale-out of the profitable public sector undertakings in the name of disinvestment, invitation to FDI in retail markets in order to favour the multinational retail giants and thereby shrinking the scope of livelihood for crores of indigenous petty traders, and above all, corruption cases that are coming to light one after another in which stalwart of the Congress as well as the BJP are involved, and through which huge public funds have been plundered. Vehemently opposing the Food Security Bill that would provide cash instead of kinds, which the central government is intending to table in the parliament, Dhar said it is nothing but an attempt to withdraw from the responsibility of providing ration to the poor. All these measures are the outcomes of neo-liberal policies which the UPA government is desperately pursuing in spite of the stiff protest from common people of the country, Bijan Dhar asserted. He then added that bigger movements are in the offing against these anti-people move of the UPA government.  

Coming to the state level issues, Bijan Dhar informed that splendid performance of the Left Front government in regard to all round development for the benefit of all sections of the people, both in urban and rural areas, amid financial and political constraints, is not disputed by anyone. The opposition Congress, with its internal skirmishes, has got further frustrated because of the exposure of its nexus with the outlawed NLFT extremists. The massive mobilisations in the recent youth and women rallies held in the subdivisions, and the switchover of thousands of people to the Left camp by renouncing their allegiance to the opposition parties, has also boosted the morale of the Left parties’ workers and supporters. The tribals of the state resolutely expressed their trust in the Left Front once again, in an immensely attended rally at Agartala at the call of the Tripura Upajati Ganamukti Parishad (GMP) on October 7, 2012.

Severely condemning the negative approach of the Congress party in the state, Dhar said the Congress stands as a road block to the implementation of any pro-people programme in the state. They stalled land acquisition for railway construction in Bishalgarh. This blockade practically delayed the completion of the Agartala-Subroom rail project for about two years. They are also maintaining contact with the NLFT terrorists and providing them manpower and material support with the hope that their violent actions in the state give the Congress political mileage against the Left Front. While mega scams are being unearthed, putting their top leaders in the dock, they are barking on fictitious and unfounded corruption allegations against the Left Front ministers, stooping low to the extent of forgetting the requirements of political decency. Being puzzled and finding no real issue against the Left Front and its government, they as a last resort started crying hoax with the electoral roll which, according to them, has plenty of erroneous entries. Strangely enough, bypassing the state level electoral authorities to get corrections made, the Congress reportedly submitted bundles of allegations to the CEC demanding stoppage of the ongoing revision of electoral rolls. Thus, implicitly, they tried to drag the revision process till the tenure of the Left Front government ended so that elections could be held under the president’s rule. It was necessary to boost up the sagging morale of the Congress workers, Bijan Dhar commented.

While the Congress alleges the Left Front government of electoral impropriety, they did not feel ashamed to bribe the influential vote catchers even before the declaration of elections in the state. At Thalchhara in Dhalai district, a section of tribal villagers contemptuously rejected such bribes offered by the Congress leaders. Many Congress leaders from the north eastern region are visiting Tripura, with bags full of money which might be used for a foul game during the elections, Dhar said. But he was also confident that the conscious and democratic minded people of the state would frustrate all machinations and foul games launched by the Congress and put their faith in the Left Front once again.

Regarding the anticipation of an extremist flare-up during the Puja festival, Gautam Das said the chief minister has rightly alerted the people, the police and government, and this alertness very much helped as the festival days passing off peacefully, without any untoward incident. There were reports from various sources that groups of NLFT extremists would try to enter the state to carry out subversive actions. Since the Congress party is tacitly patronising these forces, it is feared that they would not refrain from such activities during the run-up to the elections. Referring to the recent reshuffle of the central cabinet, Das said particularly the removal of Jaipal Reddy from the Petroleum Ministry indicated that the government is more eager to serve the corporate lobby than address the problems of the aam admi for whom they shed crocodile tears day in and day out.