Situation under BJP's rule worst in Tripura: CPI-M

The opposition Communist Party of India (Marxist)-led Left Front in Tripura on Tuesday said that the prevailing situation in the BJP-ruled state is worse than the 1975 emergency period in India.

CPI-M Tripura state Secretary Gautam Das said that total lawlessness, thousands of attacks on women, opposition party leaders and workers and undemocratic governance has prevailed during the two-year-old BJP-led government rule in the state.

He said that soon after securing a majority in the Assembly polls on March 3, 2018, the BJP had launched attacks on the opposition parties and the common people and these atrocities still continued unabated.

"During the two-year rule of BJP government, 13 CPI-M party leaders and workers were murdered and 2,170 people including 203 women were physically tortured by the BJP members and their goons and none was arrested," Das, a CPI-M central committee member, told the media.

"Fifteen more people died of heart attack after witnessing the massive widespread attacks all over."

Das alleged that over 1,002 houses belonging to the opposition CPI-M and other Left parties members were attacked, damaged and burnt.

"Around 425 shops and business establishments belonging to opposition party families were burnt down, looted or smashed. Over 54 poultry farms, fish in 14 ponds totally destroyed and 56 rubber gardens owned by opposition party families either burnt or smashed during the past two years by the BJP members and their hoodlums. Over 112 vehicles were also damaged or burnt."

The Left leader said that over 533 party offices of the CPI-M and other Left parties were either burnt down, attacked and looted or forcibly occupied by the ruling party cadres and goons.

Das said that the BJP government had bulldozed a large number of divisional offices of the CPI-M and the ruling party workers also attacked or burnt down or forcibly occupied several hundred offices of mass organisations of Left parties.

"Destroying education, over 960 government schools were handed over to private parties. Cut-money regime prevailed under BJP rule. Contractors have also filed cases in the courts as they have not received payment for their work."

Terming March 3, 2018 as a "Black Day", the CPI-M leader said that the present Tripura situation is worse than India's emergency period in 1975.

"In the 2018 assembly polls, the BJP spent huge amount of money, misused information technology, misused the election machinery to oust the erstwhile CPI-M led government," Das claimed. IANS