The Communist Party of India (Marxist) or CPI(M) on Friday promised “no revenge” against its political rivals in Tripura, if it comes to power in the state, and promised restoration of old pension scheme and re-employment of 10,000 teachers.
Releasing the Left Front’s poll manifesto for the February 16 assembly elections at the CPI(M) headquarters in Agartala, state party secretary Jitendra Chaudhary said: “We don’t believe in badla ( revenge). We believe in bodol ( change). We shall work for peace and long-term brotherhood. We will live with differences, there will be no room for violence.”
The 15-page manifesto promises to provide 2.5 lakh new jobs, hike in farmers wages, stringent law to deal with crimes against women, ensure media’s freedom, re-employment to the 10,323 teachers in government sectors, payment of dearness allowance to the government employees twice a year, reintroduction of old pension system and more autonomy to Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council (TTAADC).
The party also assured to set up professional coaching centres for banking, IAS and IPS exams and making army recruitment training centres operational in the state.
“We need to run the government based on resources and that’s why, we have prepared our manifesto in this way. Our manifesto is not like the BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party)’s jumla Vision Document. Among other promises, we shall also take steps to punish criminals who have launched attacks on media,” said Chaudhury.
On the demand for a separate state by TIPRA Motha chief Pradyot Kishore Debbarma for indigenous people, he said, “Some friends are asking for Constitutional solution. We also want the same. The 125th Constitutional amendment is pending in Parliament for past five years and it was not in the list of business in this budget session. We want to provide socio-cultural and economic development within the Constitutional framework without affecting territory. Welfare of the tribals was done in the state during the Left regime only.”
Left Front convener Narayan Kar said that the democratic rights of people, law and order, religious practices of different communities are under threat since the BJP came to power five years ago. He termed the BJP’s Vision Document unveiled before 2018 polls, as a ‘jumla’ claiming that no recruitment of unemployed persons was done except a few inductions in contractual and temporary posts.
“We have urged people to form an alternative government in this polls for a better situation. We are contesting the polls with sharing seats with the Congress and are confident to defeat the BJP,” said Kar.
He assured that all elected bodies would function properly with decentralisation of power, zero tolerance to crime, amendment of Constitution to provide maximum economic and political autonomy to the TTAADC, to increase provisions of reservation for OBC, religious minorities, etc., if Left Front is voted to power.
“Discussions with the Congress regarding Common Minimum Programme is going on. We shall announce it together in a few days,” he said.
The Left fielded 47 candidates with 43 for the CPI(M), one each for the Revolutionary Socialist Party (RSP), Forward Bloc, Communist Party of India (CPI) and an independent candidate. The rest 13 seats were shared to the Congress.
The esults of the Assembly polls would be declared on March 2.
