THE 15th state conference of Tripura committee of CITU was held at Agartala on May 28-29, 2022 with great enthusiasm and took a vow to fight hard against the anti-worker and anti-people policies of the government. On the opening day, a huge procession was organised on the city roads of Agartala in which people from different walks of life participated. Girls from tea estate worker families, performing jhumur dance in front of the procession from the start till the end marked the fighting spirit of the people. The procession culminated in front of the Rabindra Shatabarshiki Bhavan where a mammoth public meeting was organised, in which leaders including CPI(M) Polit Bureau member Manik Sarkar, CITU all-India general secretary Tapan Sen and CITU state general secretary Shankar Prasad Datta were present. The meeting was presided over by CITU state president Manik Dey. The crowd, gathered in a large numbers, braving the sweltering summer heat, was in a very upbeat mood, bubbling with enthusiasm.

Speaking at the public meeting, Manik Sarkar emphasized the need for intense united struggles to protect the democracy and the economy of the country from relentless attack of the ruling dispensation. He told that the situation is fast changing in Tripura as well as in the whole country. People are realising with their day-to-day experience that the ruling dispensation did nothing to improve the condition, rather tried to mislead people with false promises. In the state of Tripura a reign of terror has been unleashed since the BJP-IPFT assumed power in 2018. He asked to people to teach the anti-people BJP a lesson by defeating them in the bye-elections recently announced in the state for four assembly constituencies. Also the anti-people government formed by the BJP and its allies at the centre must be defeated in 2024.

Addressing the rally, CITU all-India general secretary Tapan Sen thanked the people of the state for displaying a strong determination to unite and fight the anti-worker policies of the government. He mentioned that the state conference was scheduled to be held three years back, but could not be held due to the fascistic terror let loose by the ruling party. Terror tactics have not subsided but the people have become more determined to fight back. He told that the very economic structure of the country has been under severe attack by the government at the centre. He mentioned that the people of this tiny state have started realising the hollowness of the BJP government in only four years. The CM of the state has been changed by their party leadership, but such face-saving measure cannot protect the state from the downslide. The ex-CM took every step at the behest of Modi-Shah, then why has he been made the scapegoat? He announced that the agenda for the coming struggle has been finalised. Joint agitation programmes will be organised along with other democratic organisations. The authoritarianism going on in the country is an attempt to come out of the crisis of capitalism. Fierce struggle will be organised against the destructive policies of the government, he said.

CITU state president Manik Dey and CITU state general secretary Shankar Prasad Datta also addressed the rally. After the rally, the conference was inaugurated in the afternoon in Town Hall by CPI(M) Central Committee member Aghore Debbarma. He expressed hope that the 15th state conference of CITU would play a very important role in organising mass agitation in the state for restoration of people’s rights. A total of 375 delegates from all districts and sub-divisions of the state participated in the conference. The presidium for the conference included CITU state president Manik Dey, CPI(M) central committee member Tapan Chakraborty, CITU state vice president Panchali Bhattacharya, leaders Humayun Kabir, Paresh Paik and Rabi Debbarma. An important feature of the conference was the felicitation of the lawyers, who led the legal battle to uphold the rights of scheme workers. After the BJP-IPFT government came to power in 2018, a good number of workers employed under various schemes were disengaged at various places, without citing any valid reason. Out of them at least 65 deposed workers took the battle for rights to the courts. CITU stood firmly for the workers and extended all necessary supports to them. Spirited legal battle was led by the lawyers without charging any fee, and it ensured restoration of the jobs to as many as 42 workers. These brave lawyers were felicitated by the CITU for their exemplary service to the cause of workers.

Speaking before the delegates, CPI(M) Polit Bureau member Manik Sarkar asked them to organise agitation on the burning local issues and spread them. Workers of the state are to be organised to take part in the all India agitation programmes called by the CITU. At the same time, emphasis must be given on the agitation programmes organised within the state on local issues. He told that such programmes should be organised on the basis of specific sector-based burning issues of the state. And such agitation should be spread to ultimately cover the whole state. While doing so, the workers should reach out to newer people and bring them to strengthen the agitation programmes. Financial demands should be drawn up keeping the political angle in view. Every agitation programme should be organised on the basis of the vision involving class struggle. CITU should build contact with the MGNREGA and TUEP (Tripura Urban Employment Programme) workers and incorporate their demands too. He also urged the delegates to sharpen their political awareness and vision. He told that the changing situation is to be evaluated correctly on the basis of reality, so that effective agitation programmes can be organised.

The draft political and organisational report was placed by the CITU state general secretary Shankar Prasad Datta. As many as 28 delegates participated in the discussion on the draft report. The determination to fight hard was apparent in their discussions. Afterwards, CITU all India general secretary Tapan Sen told that such situation should no more continue in the state. He mentioned that the politics of divisiveness has been very much active in the state as well as in the whole country. Not only in India, such divisive tactics are everywhere in the capitalist world. Such tactics are employed to divert the attention of common people from the burning issues like poverty, inflation, unemployment etc.

CITU state president Manik Dey assured that the state CITU would spread its periphery of work to cover all sections of working people. He also told that more and more young faces would be brought to the leadership. Radhacharan Debbarma too spoke on the occasion.

In the concluding session, a state council comprising of 113 members was elected. Manik Dey and Shankar Prasad Datta were re-elected as the president and the general secretary respectively. There are eight vice presidents and eleven secretaries elected for the state council. A 22- member state secretariat and a 60-member working committee was formed. The state conference ended with a promise of united struggle.