8-member opposition delegation to visit post-poll violence affected areas in Tripura tomorrow

New Delhi: Communist Party of India(Marxist) General Secretary Sitaram Yechury on Thursday announced that an eight-member delegation consisting of CPI(M), CPI, and Congress is going to Tripura in the post-poll violence areas tomorrow and meet the affected family.

He said that an effort will be made to meet the Governor of Tripura. While talking to ANI, Yechury said, "The Left Party CPI(M), CPI and Congress party, a joint delegation is going to Tripura. The eight-member delegation comprising of seven MPs and one former MP and in-charge of Tripura Congress Ajoy Kumar is part of the delegation."

"The main reason for sending this delegation is that ever since the Assembly election results were announced in Tripura, there has been a kind of terror since that very night. The politics of violence has been waged by the Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP). In areas where the people defeated BJP, violence was started by BJP and attacks on CPI(M) workers were carried out," he added.
The CPI(M) General Secretary further said, "The BJP was thinking that it would be a huge victory but that did not happen. They are angry because of this and so they have started violence in different parts of the state. More than 1000 people were affected and three persons died. In such a situation, to stop violence, it is necessary to go there and create pressure. It is being condemned all over the country."

"BJP feels that it is not possible for them to run the government in Tripura without spreading terror and violence. They have run the government in the same manner for last five years and want to continue it in the same way. This is why the delegation of CPI, CPM, and Congress party is going there," he said while alleging that BJP has been ruling the state by spreading terror.
"The delegation will try to meet the governor. The Chief Secretary will also meet the officials.

The rule of law should be established. Important thing is that delegation will meet violence affected family there at ground zero," Yechury added.
Informing about the delegation, Yechury said, "Delegation include Elamaram Kareem CPI(M) MP, P R Natrajan CPI(M) MP, Bikash Ranjan Bhattacharya CPI(M) MP, A A Rahim CPI(M) MP, Binoy Viswam CPI MP, two Congress MPs; one from Rajya Sabha and one from Lok Sabha. Ajoy Kumar."

Yechury stated that the delegation will stay there till March 11 and if need arises the stay would be extended till March 12.
He said, "Once the delegation will be back, it will then submit a report and also raised this issue in Parliament which is going to commence from March 13."

BJP returned to power in the state by winning an absolute majority.
According to the Election Commission of India, BJP won 32 seats with a vote share of around 39 per cent. Tipra Motha Party came second by winning 13 seats.

Communist Party of India (Marxist) got 11 seats while Congress bagged three seats. The Indigenous People's Front of Tripura (IPFT) managed to open its account by winning one seat.

The CPI(M) and the Congress, arch rivals in Kerala, came together in the Northeast this time in a bid to oust the BJP from power. The combined vote share of CPI(M) and Congress remained around 33 per cent. The BJP, which had never won a single seat in Tripura before 2018, stormed to power in the last election in alliance with IPFT and ousted the Left Front which had been in power in the border state for 35 years since 1978.

The BJP contested 55 seats and its ally, IPFT, on six seats. But both allies had fielded candidates in the Ampinagar constituency in the Gomati district. The Left contested 47 and Congress on 13 seats, respectively. Of the total 47 seats, the CPM contested 43 seats while the Forward Bloc, Communist Party of India (CPI) and Revolutionary Socialist Party (RSP) contested one seat each.

The CPI(M)-led Left Front ruled the state for nearly four decades, with a gap between 1988 and 1993 when the Congress was in power but now both parties joined hands with the intention to oust BJP from power. (ANI)