AT the call of the Central Committee, CPI(M) Tripura state committee launched a campaign programme from August 15-31, on the six-point urgent and burning demands of the people. The demands include: immediate revision of GST rates to curb price hike to a tolerable limit, ensure loan waiver for the distressed peasants, provide minimum support price for the agricultural produce, implement electoral promise of creating two crore jobs for the unemployed, no privatisation of the public sector and immediate passage of the women’s reservation bill in the next session of the parliament.

The state committee had directed the party committees to organise at least one mass rally in each of the 264 local areas. Special articles were published on each of the above issues in the Daily Desher Katha.

The campaign began on August 15 at Natunnagar, near Agartala which was addressed by Party Central Committee member Gautam Das. Explaining the demands, he said the BJP’s gimmick of ushering in good days for the people has faded away. People are realising this with their hard experience. To divert the resentment of people, the ruling BJP-RSS is resorting to communal Hindutva campaign to convert the country into a ‘Hindu state’. Secularism, the basis for national unity and integrity, is in serious threat under the Modi-led government at the centre. Public sector that was created with the hard toil of the Indian working people is being handed over to the corporates at a throw away price. The people are realising that RSS-BJP led Modi government is committed only to corporate interests, having least concern about the well-being of the common masses, Das said.

Since August 11, most of the districts had faced an unprecedented flood situation due to torrential rains that crossed all earlier records. Near about hundred shelter camps were opened. Most of the Party cadre was engaged in rescue and relief works for the flood effected people.  Some of these camps had to be continued beyond August 15. As such, the schedule of this campaign programme had to be deferred to the later days.  By this time, already a good number of rallies were held in various places of the state and this will continue till first week of September. In all the meetings, the black-out of chief minister’s Independence Day speech by Prasar Bharati at the dictates of the central government was severely criticised by the speakers. In many places, people assembled at the meeting places in good processions from different directions. In many places, disillusioned people from the BJP, Congress, IPFT, and other opposition parties, joined CPI(M) and expressed to work as Party supporters. As a whole, this campaign programme evoked a wide positive response from the masses.