Agartala, December 27, 2022: Ending all speculations, CPIM-led Left Front and Congress parties in Tripura have raised a united voice appealing to all electorates to exercise their franchise against the Bharatiya Janata Party in the ensuing assembly elections slated to be held early next year.
CPIM state secretary Jitendra Chaudhury, Pradesh Congress Committee president Birajit Sinha, CPI state secretary Yudhistir Das, Forward Bloc state chairman Paresh Sarkar, RSP state secretary Dipak Deb and CPI(ML) secretary Partha Karmakar on Tuesday made an appeal to the peace-loving democratic citizens of Tripura.
These above-mentioned leaders of Left Front and Congress in a joint press statement claimed “An unimaginable, abnormally anarchical rule was set in, in the state of Tripura since formation of Alliance government led by BJP. Civil rights were denied, the individual entity of the media was destroyed. Independent functioning of the opposition parties has been immobilized through throttling their voice. In fact, a one party tyrannical rule has been imposed in the state. The right of the electors to freely cast vote has been snatched away. The election has been reduced to a farcical event.”
“Intentional inactiveness of the administration, particularly of a section of the police administration has helped the ruling party to carry on their unconstitutional and undemocratic actions and indulged the miscreants abetted by the ruling party. Incidents like murder; terror actions, looting, and extortion of money are common features in the state. The sources of means on the basis of which the people maintain livelihood are being destroyed. In places, the people are being evicted from their ancestral land and forced to depart in other places or other states. The ferocious crimes against mothers and sisters are taking place in the state. The police don’t touch the criminals as they carry labels of ruling party followers or patronized by the ruling party. On the contrary, the framed up cases against the victims are piling up. The rule of law has been replaced by the rule of jungle”, the statement reads.
The parties of following signatories trust that the peaceful, democratic-minded people of Tripura shall not accept the situation that has been prevailing in the state. “We undersigned, earnestly and sincerely call upon the people of the state, to spontaneously come forward cutting across political identity, religion, caste and community to raise a united voice of protest against this misrule and come forward to make an end to this black regime. We like to bring to the notice of the general administration and particularly the police administration, they should pursue impartial stand, and play an effective stern role to restore rule of law in the state”, the statement also reads.
Ahead of the ensuing assembly election, leaders appeal to the Election Commission to take proactive measures to conduct the election in a healthy, democratic atmosphere and ensure the right to vote freely by each of the voters himself.
Reacting to this, BJP’s senior leader and Deputy Chief Minister Jishnu Dev Varma said “In real sense, democracy is not endangered, their parties are jeopardized. The signature of Congress state president Birajit Sinha depicts the picture that he had become the member of Left Front and I congratulate him for that. This revealed their weaknesses. They don’t have any party, where is the Congress party? He is nowhere in the party. The leader (MLA Sudip Roy Barman) who is running the party here in Tripura, I don’t see his signature here.”
Citing the unethical understanding between Congress and CPIM at national level, Dev Varma said “Till yesterday, Sinha was having a shadow understanding with CPIM-led Left Front, and today, he revealed his real face. People will never accept this understanding of Congress and Left Front as thousands of Congress workers were attacked, hundreds were murdered and CPIM-backed miscreants have set fire to the houses of several thousands of Congress supporters during the 25-year long rule of Leftist government in Tripura.”
While circulating this appeal, CPIM state secretary Chaudhury mentioned that the TIPRA Motha chairman and royal scion Pradyot Kishore Manikya Debbarman has also been consulted on the issue and claimed that Debbarman has broadly endorsed the views expressed in the statement.
Commenting on this appeal, TIPRA Motha supremo Debbarman clearly said that his party will make a statement regarding this very soon. However, he also claimed that there are certain issues which are indeed true and people are facing great difficulties. He further added that the Congress party should not forget that the CPIM-backed hooligans have tortured the Congress supporters immensely in the past.
TIPRA Motha chairman said “Those who sit in power must and should realize that posts and positions are temporary. Dissent is essential in democracy and intolerance is a sign of insecurity. With elections just a few weeks to go the administration and officers must realize that parties will come and go but their responsibility is to the rule of law and not political parties. The law has to stop protecting criminals who hide behind the flag of any political party!”
