Left to Protest outside Parliament against Murder of Democracy in Bengal & Tripura

THE state of governance in Tripura is at a low ebb. It is the responsibility of the state government to maintain law and order. But the fact that the government here is failing to do so is clear from the incidents of mob lynching on the rumour of child lifting and organ trafficking that was spread by a minister of the government which has caused this violence and mass hysteria. RSS and BJP are patronising this atmosphere of violence and terror. This is not acceptable, said CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury at Agartala on July 8 at a press conference after attending the meeting of CPI(M) Tripura state committee. Yechury said the in the continuing atmosphere of violence and terror that started after the BJP-IPFT assumed office in Tripura, we have lost four of our comrades. Ransacking of the Party and mass organisation offices, attacks on and harassment of Party workers and their families are still continuing. We want to tell the government that it is their responsibility to maintain law and order. Yechury said, the Central Committee of CPI(M) has decided to protest against this murder of democracy in Tripura and Bengal at the national level. There will be protest in front of the parliament by the Left parties on July 24 when the parliament will be in session to draw the attention of the country towards what is happening in Tripura and Bengal. All our Party units will also organise protest action on that day or for some more days. We want to make it a national issue especially when the PM, ministers, BJP and RSS is talking about the emergency during Indira Gandhi's regime and the fight against how democracy was curtailed. But what we are seeing here now is an outright murder of democracy. We are not merely condemning this atmosphere of hate and violence strongly but we are calling upon all the secular and democratic forces to come together to ensure that private armies under the patronage of RSS and BJP does not disrupt the social fabric and unity of the country. These are moving uncontrollably all across the country in the name of cow protection and moral policing. This is very dangerous for the future of our society and the country. 

He said in the name of giving one and half times of the production cost to the farmers as MSP, what the Modi government has done is a fraudulent activity. This shall be exposed by the struggles of the peasantry. Even at this inadequate price there is no guarantee that the government agencies shall procure the harvests of the farmers. CPI(M) wants a new law that will give guarantee that the government agencies will not be able to refuse to buy the produces of the farmers at the MSP. The Party extends its support to the jail bharo programme of AIKS on August 9 and to the parliament march of the CITU, AIKS and AIAWU on September 5.

Expressing concern at the situation in Jammu and Kashmir, Yechury said opening fire on the stone pelters to control them without exhausting the other options like lathi charge, tear gas, rubber bullets or water cannons will only aggravate the problem. BJP and RSS will try to use the Kashmir situation for communal polarisation in the rest of the country. They are playing the worst kind of vote bank politics. The results of it will be disastrous.

Replying to a question on electoral tactics, Yechury said, the question is to oust BJP from office. To do that, we have to adopt electoral tactics that would ensure pulling together of maximum possible votes against the BJP. There are different situations in different states. Our state committees will discuss and decide on the appropriate tactics depending on the concrete situation of the particular state. But as far as Bengal is concerned, our slogan is to defeat BJP to save India, defeat TMC to save Bengal.

Wave of Happiness in Tripura and the Neo Nero

THE journalists were taken aback as the CM said "I think that you all should think that today there is a wave of happiness in Tripura. You should also enjoy this happiness wave and you will also become happy. Look at my face, how happy I am. It's people's government and people will take action," Deb said on July 4 when a reporter asked what the state government is doing to combat cases of mob lynching that have so far claimed four lives. The government later claimed that the chief minister was misquoted, and he was referring to the renaming of Agartala Airport after Maharaja Bir Bikram Manikya, the erstwhile ruler of the state.

But the nonchalant attitude of the government and the ruling party is evident from the fact that till date no action has been initiated against the minister of education Ratanlal Nath who was at the root of spreading the rumour. One cannot help to draw a parallel of King Nero of Rome who it is said was playing his violin while the city of Rome was on fire.

Police Manhandle Job Seekers

WHILE the CM sees wave of happiness, the jobless youth are manhandled and arrested in Agartala. On July 4, a number of youth who had appeared in the exams for recruitment in police and TSR, assembled in Agartala and wanted to meet the CM. But as they came to see the CM the police dispersed them using force. Some were arrested. They were produced in court and the relatives had to bail them out. This is something unprecedented and was never heard of during the 25 years of Left Front. In the four months of the new government, not a single person has got a new job. Rather in the informal and casual sectors, mid day meal workers, pump operators, anganwadi workers and helpers are losing jobs. The BJP, before the election, had promised employment if you just give a missed call; employment in every household and regularisation of contractual workers.

However people are not taking this lying down. Despite fascist like terror and violence, people have started voicing their protest, maintained the CPI(M) state committee in its statement on July 9.

Mass Deputation in Sonamurra

A brave rally of the CPI(M) defying terror and violence in Sonamurra gave a deputation to the SDM on 11-point charter of demands. This was led by leader of opposition, Manik Sarkar, MLAs Shahid Choudhury, Shyamal Chakraborty and others. It demanded immediate end to the ongoing post poll violence, administrative measures to maintain peace and harmony, completion of the development works started in the Left Front period, immediate measures to tackle shortage of food and joblessness in rural and tribal areas, increase in wages of MNREGA. People from different far-flung areas of the subdivision walked in the rally. Manik Sarkar said, the government has not yet fulfilled any of its poll promises. It is due to the fear of people who are starting to voice their anguish, that the government wants to impose an authoritarian rule. Not a single person has been arrested in connection with the killing of four CPI(M) workers in the last four months. The elected representatives of the Left Front in local bodies are being terrorised and forced to resign. Did the BJP promise to bulldoze offices of opposition before election? This is unprecedented in the country. No job is being created. Those working are losing jobs, job seeking youth are being manhandled by police. Tax and cess have been imposed for the first time on petroleum products in the budget. None of the promises have been realised but the CM is asking the youth to open paan shops or rear milch cows. Attempts are on to create a divide between Hindus and Muslims. Attacks on democracy are on the rise. Manik Sarkar appealed the people to unite for democracy, peace and harmony.