Haripada Das
THE 24th Tripura State Conference of the CPI(M) was held from January 29-31, 2025, at Agartala Town Hall. The venue was named ‘Sitaram Yechury-Buddhadeb Bhattacharya Nagar’ while the stage ‘Manik Biswas-Samsul Hoque Manch’ was named after the two state committee members who had passed away during the interim period between the last two conferences.
In the open session held in the evening of January 29, Prakash Karat, Central Committee Coordinator, formally inaugurated the conference by hoisting the red flag and paying floral tributes to the martyrs' column, joined by other leaders, delegates, and attendees. A condolence resolution honouring the martyrs was read out by Amal Chakraborty, state committee member. Following this, an impressive rally was held at a square in Agartala, as the government had denied permission to a rally ground out of political vindictiveness.
A presidium was formed, comprising Aghore Debbarma, Rama Das, Tapan Chakraborty, Siddiqur Rahaman, and Dasarani Debbarma. Naresh Jamatia presented a condolence resolution remembering departed Party leaders and other prominent personalities who had made significant contributions to various fields of society.
Among the leaders on the dais were Prakash Karat, Manik Sarkar, Brinda Karat, Ashok Dhawale (all Polit Bureau Members) and R Arun Kumar from the Central Secretariat. Of the 415 delegates and 2 observers, 410 delegates and both observers attended the conference. Five state committee members were absent due to illness.
Addressing the delegate session, Prakash Karat stated that US imperialism, struggling to maintain its hegemony dominance, now feels threatened by China’s economic growth. In an attempt to isolate China, the US is trying to turn the Asia-Pacific region into a war zone and is seeking to make India its strategic partner in its confrontation with China. Simultaneously, the US is supplying weapons to Israel to help extend its dominance over Middle Eastern oil reserves. Israel, in turn, is using these arms to commit crimes against humanity, killing thousands of Palestinians and destroying property in Gaza. He added that the identity of Palestine itself is under threat. Regarding the Russia-Ukraine war, Karat opined that it is essentially a proxy war between the US, backed by NATO, and Russia.
Speaking on the national situation, Karat noted that in the last Lok Sabha election, the BJP suffered setbacks but has not abandoned its agenda of transforming India into a Hindu Rashtra. To achieve this, they are attempting to amend the fundamental principles of the Constitution, undermining its secularism, democracy, and federal structure.
Focusing on Tripura, Karat emphasized that the state remains one of the CPI(M)'s strongholds. However, under BJP rule, Tripura is now grappling with communal and ethnic tensions, deliberately orchestrated to divide the people. He expressed confidence that the conference would devise ways to counter the communal-corporate alliance and help the Party regain its former strength through organisational consolidation and sustained movements, despite all adversities.
Jitendra Chowdhury, the state secretary, presented the political-organisational report. The report primarily focussed on the dire situation in the state. It detailed the abysmal economic crisis affecting people's daily lives, the deteriorating performance of government departments in delivering essential services, and the BJP’s aggressive promotion of Hindutva. It also emphasized the ruling BJP’s ongoing fascistic attacks on the opposition, particularly targeting the CPI(M) to cripple its mobility.
Jitendra Chowdhury reported that democratic rights, including the right to vote and the freedom to express dissent, were being systematically suppressed, with even fundamental rights such as the right to life being denied by the government. The report pointed to the alarming rise in incidents of violence against women, placing the state among the top two or three in the country in terms of such cases. It also highlighted the state’s growing notoriety for human trafficking.
To divert public attention from its failures in governance, the BJP is deliberately inciting religious and ethnic tensions to create unrest and hostility among different sections of society. The report provided a vivid account of how the ruling BJP had reduced elections to a mere mockery of democracy. It also scrutinised the role of Tipra Motha, which publicly campaigned against the BJP while covertly aligning with it, ultimately helping the BJP retain power with a slender majority in the Assembly despite receiving a minority of votes. The report concluded with an analysis of the current state of organisational affairs and outlined future tasks to strengthen the Party’s structure.
BOOK LAUNCH
After the first session concluded on the evening of January 29, a separate programme was held at the conference venue, presided over by Manik Sarkar. During this programme, Prakash Karat unveiled the book History of Communist Movement in Tripura, authored by the late Comrade Mahadeb Chakraborty, a distinguished historian, and published by Daily Desher Katha. In his address, Prakash Karat suggested publishing an English edition of the book so that people across India could learn about the intense and relentless struggles of Tripura’s communists – first against the royal administration and later against the Congress regime – despite harsh conditions and oppression.
Manik Sarkar shared that, following the decision of the 23rd State Conference, a four-member team was formed to draft a book on the history of the communist movement in the state. Sadly, two members of the team had passed away by the time of the book’s completion. Comrade Mahadeb Chakraborty’s health also deteriorated steadily, forcing him to relocate permanently to Kolkata for medical treatment. He began drafting the book in Agartala and continued working on it until his passing in Kolkata, leaving the manuscript unfinished. His wife, Tapati Chakraborty, took on the responsibility of completing the book by writing its final chapter.
Manik Sarkar extended his congratulations to everyone involved in its publication. During the event, Debabrata Goswami, a member of the four-member drafting team, read out a letter from Tapati Chakraborty regarding the book’s publication.
On the second day of the conference, Polit Bureau member Brinda Karat addressed the gathering, commending the delegates for their positive and constructive discussions. Reflecting on the outcome of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, she noted that while the BJP’s strength in the Lok Sabha had been significantly reduced, it still remained the largest party in the country and the danger of communal forces still remains.
Highlighting the relentless struggles of the people of Tripura against the RSS-BJP, Ashok Dhawale stated that the BJP was revealing its neo-fascist character in the state. Despite facing multiple adversities, the Party in Tripura continued to fight resolutely against this force.
DISCUSSIONS
A total of 51 delegates, including 9 women, took part in the 8.5 hours of discussion on the political-organisational report presented by the secretary. While most delegates broadly supported the report, they raised many valid and constructive issues that could further strengthen it. A key concern was the need to strengthen Party organisation.
Delegates emphasized the importance of reaching out to disillusioned tribal youth who feel betrayed by Tipra Motha’s deceptive slogans like “Thansa” (Tribal Unity) and “Greater Tipra Land.” Other issues highlighted by delegates included the declining profitability of farming in plain areas, leading to reduced cultivable land and forcing peasants to shift to trade-based occupations. The transition from traditional farming methods to capital-intensive, machine-driven agriculture was also noted, creating unfair competition between poor peasants and wealthier ones.
Delegates observed that the rise of rubber plantations has elevated the lifestyles of some tribal communities to middle-class status, altering their class character from proletarian to middle-class. They stressed the need to develop new slogans to reconnect with these communities. Concerns were also raised about the lack of follow-up after initiating urgent movements, and the insufficient number of resource persons for Party education. Some delegates expressed the need to retain age-barred but physically capable comrades in committees.
Some delegates pointed out that a significant number of auxiliary group members had to be dropped due to inadequate ideological and organisational training after enrollment. The exploitation of women by microfinance companies offering loans at exorbitant interest rates was another key issue. Many tribal and non-tribal women are trapped in debt and subjected to inhumane treatment during repayment. It was also noted that no efforts have been made to reach out to Mizoram migrants resettled in various parts of the state, despite their electoral significance in several Assembly constituencies. Delegates criticised the government for diverting attention from pressing issues by promoting communal divisions and obscurantism and suggested bolstering the People’s Science Movement to combat such tactics.
To counter the BJP’s lavish election campaigns funded by crores of rupees and its widespread electoral bribery, delegates called for effective ways to counter it. They also highlighted the growing menace of drug trafficking and addiction among the youth, and called for a state-wide anti-drug movement. Another concern was the government's decision to hand over the Domboor reservoir to a private company, depriving thousands of fishermen in the Gandachara Sub-Division of their livelihood. The delegates recommended that the party take up this issue urgently.
Finally, delegates proudly noted that none of the comrades who faced physical torture, property loss, arson, looting, economic blockades, or other forms of pressure from the ruling BJP have capitulated or joined the BJP.
Resolutions adopted in the conference included:
- Opposing the saffronisation of education.
- Condemning the increasing incidents of torture, rape, gang rape, and murder of women in the state.
- Resisting the BJP’s attempts to incite religious and communal violence.
- Demanding adequate relief for the victims of the devastating floods in August 2024.
- Urgent adoption of the 125th Constitutional Amendment Bill for the empowerment of Autonomous District Councils (ADCs) and direct fund allocation to these bodies.
- Calling for immediate recruitment to fill vacant government posts.
- Ensuring service security and legitimate financial benefits for scheme workers.
- Guaranteeing 200 days of work under MGNREGA at a daily wage rate of ₹600, free from corruption and malpractices.
- Mobilising movements against autocratic rule in the state, restoring the rule of law, and demanding strict legal action against drug traffickers.
Following the discussions, Manik Sarkar addressed and clarified several points raised by the participants. This was followed by the state secretary’s reply to the discussions. Jitendra Chowdhury congratulated the delegates for their constructive engagement and valuable suggestions, which would help the Party refine and strengthen its report to address the prevailing adversities in the state. The report, incorporating amendments based on the delegates' discussions, was then passed unanimously.
Lalit Debnath, chairman of the State Control Commission, presented a report outlining their work during the interim period. Nabarun Deb, on behalf of the Credentials Committee, also submitted a report.
A 60-member state committee was proposed by the outgoing committee and was passed unanimously. In accordance with the guidelines set by the Central Committee, the strength of the state committee was reduced from 70 members in the previous conference to 60. Although Manik Sarkar had crossed the 75-year age limit for being in state committee, the Central Committee granted him an exemption, and he was retained in the state committee.
The new state committee held its first session on the conference dais and unanimously re-elected Jitendra Chowdhury as the secretary.
Forty delegates and two observers were unanimously elected for the 24th Party Congress.
Narayan Kar, chairman of the Reception Committee, extended gratitude to all involved, including volunteers, donors, and those who directly or indirectly contributed to the smooth conduct of the conference.
Artists from Tripura Samskriti Samannay Kendra (TSSK) performed songs before every session, and the conference concluded with a rendition of The Internationale, sung by the TSSK artists.
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