Agartala, December 08, 2023: Tripura CPIM Secretary and MLA Jitendra Chaudhury on Friday penned a letter to Chief Minister Prof Dr Manik Saha, urging the state government to provide employment opportunities to the families of individuals who lost their lives in political violence since March 2018. The letter, addressed to the Chief Minister, highlights a list of 29 victims who have fallen prey to political violence during this period.

Chowdhury commended the Tripura government for its decision to offer government jobs to family members of 15 individuals who lost their lives in political violence up to 2018. This positive acknowledgment comes as the state government, led by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Indigenous People’s Front of Tripura (IPFT) alliance, continues its efforts to address the needs of affected families.

Critics, however, have raised questions about the sincerity of the CPIM’s newfound concern for victims of political violence. They argue that during the Left Front’s 25-year tenure in power, little attention was given to the families of those affected by political violence. Some critics perceive the CPIM’s current actions as an attempt to exert pressure on the former BJP coalition government, which was ousted from power.

The state government, responding to the issue, took a decisive step on December 23, 2020, by pledging support to families of individuals who fell victim to political violence prior to March 2018. The commitment included the provision of one government job for each affected family. To ensure a fair and transparent process, a scrutiny committee was established by the government. As of now, 26 applications have been received from politically affected families, with the scrutiny committee recommending 15 individuals for government jobs based on its investigations.

Minister Ratan Lal Nath shared these details during a press conference at Secretariat on Thursday. In response to the government’s initiative, CPIM State Secretary and MLA Chowdhury expressed his approval in a letter to the Chief Minister. Additionally, he urged the government to extend similar employment benefits to the families of the 29 individuals who lost their lives in political violence since March 9, 2018. The request now awaits the Chief Minister’s consideration and response.