A mammoth open rally was held on the occasion of 23rd Central Conference of Tripura Rajya Upajati Ganamukti Parishad in Agartala. Leaders of the Ganamukti Parishad and the Adivasi Adhikar Rashtriya Manch (AARM) gave a clarion call to revive the organisation to its original shape, protect ethnic and religious amity, fight a determined battle in the upcoming Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council (TTAADC) election and rescue the state from the onslaughts of RSS-led BJP’s Hindutva venom and Tipra Motha and IPFT ethnic hate-mongers, both partners of the BJP-led Government in the state. This would contribute to the battle for restoration of democracy in the state. The leaders addressing the rally recalled that the Ganamukti Parishad was a historic organisation of the tribal masses that was founded by the legendary communist leader Dasarath Deb and others to fight back feudal exploitation and injustice during the monarchy in the 1940s.

Prior to the open rally, the conference was inaugurated in front of the conference venue, the Agartala Town Hall, with flag hoisting by Ganamukti Parishad President Naresh Jamatia, followed by paying floral tributes to the martyrs column in the presence of leaders of the organisation and delegates of the conference.

The open rally was presided over by President Naresh Jamatia and was addressed by AARM Chairman and CPI(M) Polit Bureau Member Jitendra Choudhury, former CPI(M) Polit Bureau Member and AARM leader Brinda Karat and Ganamukti Parishad Secretary Radhacharan Debbarma. AARM national convener Dr Pulin Bihari Baske and Pappu Boro of Assam were present among others in the dais.

Saluting the hugely attended militant gathering and underlining the barbaric assault on democracy since the BJP assumed power in 2018, Jitendra Choudhury said that prior to the TTAADC election both BJP and Tipra Motha are competing in shedding tears and charging one another for the plight of the tribal masses. But, in practice both the parties complemented each other in the anti-democratic fascistic onslaughts that reigned in Tripura since 2018. Though BJP and Tipra Motha leaders are sharing berths in the cabinet, their rank and file are trading charges including about institutionalised corruption, siphoning off public funds for personal gains etc. By this time no less than 20 violent clashes between BJP and Tipra Motha workers had taken place in various parts of the state, causing serious concern among the peace loving democratic masses. Ironically, neither of these parties has anything to say to the masses about their performances in ADC as well as in the government, Jitendra Choudhury said. 

Lambasting the duplicity of Tipra Motha with its hoax slogans of ‘Tipra land’, ‘Greater Tipraland’ and ‘Thansa’ (all-in tribal unity) etc, Jitendra Choudhury emphasised that Tipra Motha’s so-called unity does not include any demand for enhancement of the budgetary allocation that is due to the ADC for increase of MNREGA man-days in tribal areas, for providing the ADCs under 6^th Schedule more autonomy and socio-cultural advancement as laid down in the 125th Constitution Amendment Act. Nor do they raise the demand for implementation of the Forest Right Act which is kept frozen at present. 

Explaining the deceitful role of the BJP on tribal issues, Jitendra Choudhury referred to the Chief Minister’s declaration that they would investigate the misappropriation of ADC funds if they were elected to run the ADC and the persons found liable for misappropriation would be put behind bars. Jitendra Choudhury asked the Chief Minister, why he should wait till assuming office in the ADC if he is sincere about an anti-corruption drive. The state government itself has the authority to investigate, he added. In reality, most of the BJP leaders inside the government as well as at various levels of the party are neck-deep in corruption. Most of the unemployed youths were lured by the promise of government jobs during the election. They were used as pawns to unleash terror against the opposition supporters, vandalise and set fire to opposition offices, houses of opposition workers and supporters and engage in physical assaults. Not being absorbed anywhere, a section of them were disillusioned. As a solace, they are given a free hand to resort to unfair means of corruption and siphoning off public funds from various government beneficiary schemes.

In conclusion, Jitendra Choudhury emphasised the need to restore democracy which had ceased to exist in the state since 2018. If democracy is allowed to roll on its own course, accountability of the elected bodies would be established, protesting voices would get stronger, mass movements would get momentum and finally the people would be able to realise some minimum relief from the government.

Calling Tripura as one of the vanguards in the struggle for tribal rights,  AARM Vice President Brinda Karat said that the RSS led BJP Government has no card to play except its Hindutva hate campaign and dividing the people on caste, creed and race to divert public attention from the serious economic crisis of the common people. MGNREGA and the Forest Right Act are the product of prolonged struggle of the masses led by the left parties. While former has been crippled for the benefit of rural vested interests, the other is kept inoperative to allow corporates to grab forest land for extracting mineral resources. Condemning the barbaric butchering of Angel Chakma, a promising tribal student of Tripura in Uttarakhand, Brinda said that he was a victim of racism cultivated by the RSS-BJP all over the country. In the same incident, his brother was also subjected to physical torture. This had happened because their appearance resembles that of Mongolians. This is an ugly instance of vicious Manuwadi hate campaign propagated by RSS and BJP, Brinda said, and it is not unnatural that the Tipra Motha is a political ally of such forces.

President Naresh Jamatia highlighted the innumerable sacrifices of the Ganamukti Parishad leaders and cadres for protecting the state’s territorial integrity and ethnic unity against secessionist forces. Ultimately terrorism was defeated by the Left Front Government and the Ganamukti Parishad still stands with its head high. The present challenge will also be befittingly combatted, Naresh declared. Radhacharan Debbarma explained the non-performance of the Tipra Motha-run TTAADC and the drain of ADC funds for luxury and excursions.  

In the first session of the conference, General Secretary Radhacharan Debbarma presented the political organisational report. Altogether 560 delegates from 23 sub-divisions attended the conference. 25 delegates discussed the report  and highlighted the issues of unexplainable hardship of the poorer section of tribals, scarcity of work, food, deteriorating village communication, health care service, dislocation in school education. The delegates expressed concern about the Tipra Motha’s drive to identify ‘foreigners’. The delegates suggested introduction of both Roman and Bengali scripts for Kokborok and letting the people decide which one would be accepted by the majority. Many delegates suggested reorientation of the organisation to combat the parochial campaign of tribal identity on the basis of blind loyalty to the royal family.

Addressing the conference, senior communist leader Manik Sarkar advised the delegates to take up the challenge and plunge into the upcoming TTAADC election to snatch the ADC from the clutches of Tipra Motha which had betrayed the very objective of formation of the ADC. Apart from political-organisational efforts, his emphasis was on winning over large sections of the tribals, particularly the new generation of youth who are enticed with spicy slogans of so-called ‘Greater Tipra Land’. The history of the Ganamukti Parishad’s fight against the repression and exploitation of feudalism must be propagated widely with facts and reasons, he suggested. At this hour of crisis, history bestows to the heroic cadres of Ganamukti Parishad the task of resolutely protecting the traditional unity between tribals and nontribals in the state and they must do everything to achieve it.

Along with organisational reorientation, the conference resolved to carry on the struggle against the divisive and regressive policies of BJP, firmly stand in favour of tribal-nontribal unity and make a resolute drive to expose the duplicity of Tipra Motha and its opportunistic alliance with BJP. 

The conference unanimously approved a 139-member Central Committee of which 137 members were elected, keeping 2 seats vacant. The Central Committee has 55 new members including 15 women. The conference also elected a 25-member Central Working Committee which retained both Naresh Jamatia and Radhacharan Debbarma as President and Secretary respectively.