CPI-M, Congress ask Tripura government to restore law & order

CPI-M, Congress ask Tripura government to restore law & order

Tripura: Tripura Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb addresses a press conference in Tripura on May 28, 2019. (Photo: IANS)

Agartala/New Delhi, May 28 (IANS) Opposition CPI-M and Congress on Tuesday urged the BJP-led government in Tripura to stop unrelenting political violence against opposition party leaders and workers and restore rule of law.

A six-member Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) legislature group led by opposition leader Manik Sarkar on Tuesday met Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb and requested him to stop political violence and restore normalcy in the state.

On the other hand, the Congress has demanded Central paramilitary force, Assam Rifles, in Tripura.

"We have told the Chief Minister to stop uninterrupted political violence that started since the BJP came to power on March 3 last year. Murders, attacks, looting, rioting, extortion, destructions of business establishments and properties are continuing," Sarkar told the media after meeting Deb.

"Due to the unprecedented insecurity, the Election Commission had to defer the Lok Sabha election in Tripura East seat from April 18 to April 23 and held repolling in 168 polling stations in Tripura West seat," Sarkar said.

Demanding Chief Minister's immediate intervention, Sarkar said that after the Bharatiya Janata Party-led government came to power in the state, "farcical elections" to the local bodies were held, entirely disallowing the participation of opposition parties.

"During the counting of votes in the parliamentary polls across the state on May 23, over 60 counting agents of Left parties were evicted by the ruling BJP members in front of the security forces. After the declaration of Lok Sabha poll results, 20 more Left party offices were either burnt or destroyed by the ruling party members," said Sarkar, a Chief Minister for 20 years (1998-2018).

"Over 700 CPI-M MLAs, elected leaders and others, including state secretary Gautam Das, were attacked several times by BJP goons. During the 14 months of BJP governance, seven CPI-M leaders and workers were assassinated," said Sarkar.

A few days back, a Communist Party of India member Rabi Paul, 62, had committed suicide at Muhuripur in southern Tripura after the BJP members demanded Rs three lakhs from him as 'subscription'. "To celebrate the victories of BJP party, Rs ten thousand to Rs ten lakhs are being forcibly collected from many CPI-M supporters and businessmen.

In New Delhi, Tripura Pradesh Congress President Pradyot Bikram Manikya Debbarman in a separate media briefing urged the central government to deploy central para-military Assam Rifles in Tripura to restore peace and normalcy in Tripura.

"Tripura is a bordering state along Bangladesh. Internal disturbances in the state could create major troubles in the state. Due to the violence unleashed by the ruling party workers, the law and order situation has totally broken down. Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb, who also holds the home portfolio and state party President, remains totally inactive even as the people are being attacked by his party men," said Debbarman, who was accompanied by AICC spokesperson Pawan Khera and other leaders.

--IANS

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