The main opposition party in Tripura, the Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPI(M)), is set to hold a significant public rally in Agartala on Wednesday as part of its three-day 24th state conference. This decision comes despite the state government not allotting any venue for the event.
CPI(M) politburo member and former Chief Minister (1998-2018) Manik Sarkar, along with the party’s state Secretary Jitendra Chaudhury, have both stated that the mass public meeting will proceed regardless of the circumstances. Chaudhury, who is also the Leader of Opposition (LoP) in the state, mentioned that the party had sought permission from the police for any of three venues to hold the gathering. However, the police have yet to grant permission for any location, citing various reasons for the delay.
Chaudhury explained that the party had applied a month ago for permission to hold the public meeting on January 29 at Swami Vivekananda Maidan Stadium in Agartala. The state government denied the request, citing a pre-scheduled Self-Help Group (SHG) fair at the same venue. Subsequent requests for alternative venues were also rejected. Chaudhury alleged that the denial was politically motivated, suggesting that the government fears a large turnout of citizens dissatisfied with its performance. He claimed that the SHG fair was deliberately scheduled to coincide with the CPI(M)’s event and could have been rescheduled or organized at another venue.
When Chaudhury approached Chief Minister Manik Saha to request an alternative venue, such as the Umakanth school ground, the Chief Minister initially promised to look into the request. However, formal permission from the police has yet to be granted. Chaudhury, who is also a CPI(M) central committee member and former minister, claimed that “BJP-backed goons” destroyed the flags, festoons, banners, and decorative gates put up in connection with the three-day state conference.
Party politburo members Prakash Karat, Manik Sarkar, Chaudhury, and other senior leaders are scheduled to address the public rally on Wednesday. Former Chief Minister Sarkar criticized the BJP-led government, accusing it of failing to deliver on promises made to the people before coming to power in 2018. Both Sarkar and Chaudhury strongly criticized the “undemocratic mentality of the BJP government.”
A CPI(M) leader mentioned that ahead of the 24th congress of the CPI(M), conferences of all state committees across the country must be completed. Before the state conference, the process of forming branch, local, divisional, and district committees must be done. The CPI(M)’s 24th congress will be held from April 2 to 6, 2025, in Madurai. The three-day 24th state conference will be held from January 29 to 31 in Agartala. This is the second such meeting in Tripura since the BJP came to power in 2018.
The party leader stated that during the state conference, the Left party would finalize the roadmap for its future strategies and programs to highlight the “misgovernance of the ruling BJP and various basic issues of the people.” The CPI(M)-led Left Front was in power in Tripura for 35 years in two phases – from 1978 to 1988 and from 1993 to 2018. The Left parties suffered a significant defeat in the 2018 and 2023 Assembly elections, leading to the BJP-Indigenous People’s Front of Tripura (IPFT) coalition coming into power.
