There was no ‘Common Minimum Programme’ of the Opposition alliance forged by the two arch rivals Left Front and Congress as it was only ‘seat sharing’. But on Friday the barely two weeks before the assembly election, the Left Front came out with its Election manifesto.
The election manifesto of the Left Front among many others promised as many 2.5 lakhs new employment opportunities—jobs and business etc, pension to poor senior citizens, and reintroduction of the old pension scheme, two DA hikes for government employees every year and other 81 promises.
Addressing a press conference on Friday, the Left Front convener Narayan Kar said, the Left front is committed to expand employment, education, sports, art and culture if voted to power. He also said, the Left front, if voted to power, will eliminate drugs menace and provide a corruption-free, pro-people administration.
The 15-page poll manifesto of the Left front also promised for re-appointment of the 10,323 retrenched teachers, regularization of services of contractual employees and more autonomy to the tribal council.
On the other hand, terming the 299 poll promises of the BJP’s 2018 Vision Document as ‘jumla’, the LF convenor said, “Democracy was throttled in Tripura after the BJP came to power in 2018, while people’s liberty to raise their voice has been lost.”
He said that the Left Front will restore the democratic values once it wins the elections.
The CPI(M) state secretary Jitendra Choudhury on Friday said, “doors are open for an understanding with the TIPRA Motha, even as the deadline for withdrawing nominations is over.”
“Even we want a constitutional solution for the empowerment of the tribal groups in Tripura. But we want to provide socio-cultural and economic development within a constitutional framework, without affecting Tripura’s territory,” he added.
Choudhury further informed that the CPI(M) will start joint campaigning with the Congress party as per the seat sharing agreement from February 6 next.