By Firstdespatch Desk Dec 27, 2022
Agartala, December 27 (FD): Five Left political parties and the Congress today issued a joint statement appealing to the “peace loving democratic citizens” of Tripura to come together cutting across political lines and end BJP’s purported “black regime”.
Opposition leader and CPIM politburo member Manik Sarkar about a month ago said that he was trying to put all opposition parties together against the BJP,
In a joint statement signed by CPIM state secretary Jitendra Chaudhury, CPI state secretary Judhisthir Das, Revolutionary Socialist Party secretary Dipak Deb, Forward Bloc chairman Paresh Sarkar, CPIML state secretary Partha Karmakar and Tripura Congress president Birajit Sinha, the leaders have appealed people to “spontaneously come forward cutting across political identity, religion, caste and community to raise united voice of protest against this misrule and come forward to make an end to this black regime”.
The six-party joint statement alleged that an “unimaginable, abnormally anarchical rule” has set in Tripura since BJP-led government was formed in 2018. It alleged that civil rights were denied the individual entity of media was destroyed, independent and free functioning of opposition political parties was immobilized by throttling their voice under BJP’s watch in the state.
“In fact, a one-party tyrannical rule has been imposed in the state. The right of the electors to freely cast vote has been snatched away. The election has been reduced to farcical event. Intentional inactiveness of the administration, particularly of a section of the police administration has helped the ruling party to carry on their unconstitutional and undemocratic actions and indulged the miscreants abetted by the ruling party”, the joint statement claimed adding that crimes like murder, terrorizing, looting and extortions have become common features in the state.
It also said the means of livelihood of people were largely destroyed in many places, people were evicted from their ancestral land and forced to depart in other places or other states.
Referring to rapes and molestations, the opposition statement said “ferocious crimes” were being perpetrated against mothers and sisters of the state. “The police don’t touch the criminals as they carry label of ruling party followers or patronized by the ruling party. On the contrary, the framed up cases against the victims are piling up. The rule of Jaw has been replaced by rule of jungle”, it said.
All signatories of the joint statement trusts that “peaceful, democratic-minded people of Tripura” would not accept the prevailing situation, the statement said adding that it “earnestly and sincerely” called upon the people to spontaneously come forward cutting across political identity, religion, caste and community to raise united voice of protest against this misrule and come forward to make an end to this “black regime”.
They also appealed officials of the general administration, particularly the police to pursue “impartial stand”, play “effective stern role” to restore rule of law and appealed the Election Commission of India to take “proactive measure” to conduct the election in a “healthy democratic atmosphere” and ensure the right to vote freely by each of the voters himself ahead of the ensuing assembly election.
While the statement was signed by Left political parties and Congress alone, CPIM state secretary Jitendra Chaudhury added Tripura ADC’s ruling TIPRA Motha party was also consulted over the issue and Motha supremo Pradyot Kishore “broadly endorsed” the views.
“Hon'ble Pradyut Manikya Kishore, Supremo of Tipra Motha has also been consulted on the issues. He has broadly endorsed the views expressed in the statement. Right now he is not in Agartala”, Chaudhury told media in a separate written statement.
While the joint statement gives out several hints on its own about an opposition alliance of sorts in the formation, the same was being hinted upon for last few months.
Earlier in November this year, Opposition leader and CPIM politburo member Manik Sarkar’s comments came as a surprise when he said he has been trying to put all opposition parties together against the BJP but didn’t receive good response from the other non-BJP parties so far.
While Congress and CPIM had earlier spoken on several occasions to pull up a unified strategic understanding across anti-BJP parties, no one has been actually naming potential partners yet, not even when CPIM general secretary Sitaram Yechuri said a larger alliance against BJP was needed. FD JK