Use flag poles as baton for self-defense, it is your birthright: Former Tripura CM Manik Sarkar to party cadres 

Opposition Leader and four times Chief Minister of Tripura,  Manik Sarkar, urged his party cadres to do whatever they feel appropriate in self-defense against the atrocities of the ruling BJP which has allegedly targeted them repeatedly.

“If they (BJP goons) again try to attack you then every person has the birthright to self defend himself and for that what one has to do, why should we give you advice? You can take your stand, but don’t put your leg in their conspiratory move,” said Manik Sarkar, CPI (M) politburo member.

“We cannot ask people to take arms in their hands, that will be Harakari. We follow the democratic norms and forms but we have been also saying, if still people prevent you from voicing your genuine demands then you are to face them, clear your road to organize your demonstrations," added Sarkar.

Only a day ago he had urged his party supporters to use the poles of their flags as a baton to clear the roads and use against those who stop them.

‘Jhanda ta ke danda baniye babohar korum’, (use the flag pole as a stick) suggested Sarkar.

He viewed that during the present regime, the budget and work under MGNREGA have been reduced, wages have not been hiked besides huge corrupt practices are underway like using machines to execute the work which is totally illegal.

Sarkar moreover alleged that BJP leaders are demanding commissions from the workers under MGNREGA. 

According to him, there is regular power failure due to which drinking water crisis is rampant, irrigation is badly suffering and impacting agriculture, and road connectivity is in poor condition. Schools are passing through huge teacher crisis and students are on the streets to protest against all these, hospitals have a scarcity of doctors, nurses, paramedics, medicines, and other things. 

Sarkar claimed that during the regime of the Left Front government, social pensions were provided to some 4.22 lakh people but it was reduced by more than 50 percent by the present government. 

He demanded that the people should get back their social pension, which was cancelled for no fault of theirs. 

The Opposition Leader alleged that beneficiaries to get the second instalment of making houses under PMAY are in utter distress as BJP Mandal leaders are demanding commissions. Also, the public distribution system is in complete doldrums. 

Sarkar viewed that there is no control over price rise and the worst sufferers are the poor section of the people who cannot afford a square meal a day and even selling their children as unemployment is the biggest curse under the present government.

The former CM speaking at the gathering at Orient Chowmhuni in presence of CPI (M) MLAs and a large number of his party cadres during a three hours demonstration alleged, “The BJP government here is an idle, anti-people, corrupt and fascist government that is throttling the voice of the people. 

Looting of votes is going on and people are not allowed to exercise their voting rights. Even the fourth pillar of democracy - media is being attacked, doctors and engineers are being targeted by the ruling party goons.”

He added that the BJP realized that it is going to badly suffer in the 2023 assembly election and with the present face so it changed the chief minister but it would not help much.

Sarkar claimed that to know about the burning problems faced by the common people of Tripura, during the last four months the MLAs belonging to the CPI (M) have been touring the whole state under the leadership of the Left Front covering 23 subdivisions 57 blocks and 20 urban body area. 

He alleged that the session of the Assembly was held for very limited occasions under the present government and the Opposition MLAs including the Opposition leader, who has been the Chief Minister for almost 20 years, was bared from speaking. He even alleged that he and the Opposition leaders were not allowed to exercise their democratic rights freely and fairly while they tried to raise the issue of the common people in the floor of the Assembly and drawn the attention of the government.

In such a situation the Opposition Leader Sarkar urged the people to get united against the present government in order to pull them down from power.

It may be added only two days back CPI (M) cadres attacked BJP supporters with sticks and hospitalized three of them in separate incidents, in which the BJP viewed that violence is part of CPI (M)'s ideology and is present in their chromosomes.