Hoisting the red flag was once virtually prohibited here. Much water has since flowed down the Gomati. Yet after eight years of BJP rule, large sections of voters have been unable to cast a ballot. Terror, intimidation, assaults, and destruction remain vivid memories. But did any of this reduce hunger? Create jobs? Raise incomes? No. The people feel deceived. However, the courage of the deprived is growing. That sentiment was clear Monday afternoon in Notunbazar, where a spirited rally filled with red flags echoed with determination: in the upcoming ADC elections, the misrule of the BJP-TIPRA Motha alliance will be answered at the ballot.

Addressing the rally, senior CPI(M) leader Manik Sarkar reminded voters how their voting rights had been denied over the past eight years. He urged them not to let history repeat itself and to assert: “I will cast my vote, and I will decide whom to vote for.” He called for collective resistance if obstructed and vowed to question any attempts to stop them from voting.

Underdevelopment is evident across Notunbazar. Roads are in disrepair, some resembling ponds. Drinking water pipelines have been laid, but water supply remains uncertain. Shopkeepers wait for customers; auto-rickshaw drivers spend hours without passengers-one said he struggles to repay his vehicle loan due to low earnings. Many walk long distances to the market, unable to afford transport. A forest produce vendor said poor sales often leave him unable to afford both rice and lentils.

Residents from Bairagi Para, Malbasa, Chellagang, Duluma, and Jatanbari said neither the BJP-led government nor the TIPRA Motha-run ADC has developed the area—instead, living conditions have worsened. Many youths are migrating to Bengaluru and Chennai in search of work.

On Monday, a large crowd gathered at Notunbazar, raising slogans against misrule and demanding the return of the Left Front in the ADC. People from various communities joined the rally. Local traders and passersby echoed the sentiments voiced from the stage.

The rally, held in support of Left Front candidate Mogendra Reang, was one of the largest seen in the past eight years. Speakers included CPI(M) Gomati district secretary Parimal Debnath, candidate Mogendra Reang, and Amarpur subdivisional committee member Snehasish Banik, alongside senior leader Manik Sarkar. The meeting was presided over by Talyabasi Debbarma and Subhash Debnath, with state committee member Priyamani Debbarma also in attendance.

At the rally, 78 members from 28 families announced they were leaving the BJP–TIPRA Motha alliance to support CPI(M). They were welcomed by party leaders.

Manik Sarkar recalled the joint movements by CPI(M) and Ganamukti Parishad for ADC formation, including the four-phase agitation. He highlighted the establishment of the ADC under the Sixth Schedule, recognition of Kokborok as a state language, and measures to prevent illegal land transfers-all initiatives of the Left Front for tribal welfare. He noted that the BJP never participated in these movements, while TIPRA Motha did not exist then.

He called the ADC a bridge between tribal and non-tribal communities. He alleged that reactionary forces, unable to tolerate the Left Front's development work, captured the ADC in 2000 with extremist support.

Sarkar highlighted Left Front initiatives in education, healthcare, roads, water, markets, and agriculture, claiming these improved infrastructure and reduced hunger, distress migration, and extreme poverty.

Criticizing the BJP and TIPRA Motha, he alleged that over the past eight and five years respectively, they have failed to take effective welfare measures. Instead, he claimed, corruption and misgovernance have risen, along with hunger, migration, and economic distress.

He questioned the BJP's moral right to seek votes amid unemployment, law and order issues, and corruption, urging voters to defeat the party for development and community unity.

Sarkar also accused TIPRA Motha leaders of making false promises and helping the BJP form government after the 2023 Assembly elections. He claimed they had failed to deliver on any ADC commitments over the past five years and warned voters against falling into what he called a trap of deception.

(Rahul Sinha)