The Wire
In this exclusive interview, the four-time Left CM essays the challenges of leading an opposition amidst the violence allegedly displayed by the Biplab Deb government.
In this exclusive interview to The Wire, four-time Left Front chief minister of Tripura Manik Sarkar details the continuing attacks his party, the CPI(M), has had to face allegedly at the hands of the ruling BJP.
In the national capital to draw attention to the Biplab Deb government’s violent suppression of opposition efforts and media freedom, Manik Sarkar said all “democratic-minded citizens” were in danger.
New Delhi: In the national capital to highlight the incessant and violent attacks on the opposition in his state, the four-time Left Front chief minister of Tripura Manik Sarkar said that the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party is turning the north-eastern state into a “laboratory” to establish a “one-party, dictatorial, fascistic regime”.
Sarkar, who was most recently attacked during his visit to Khatalia on September 6, 2021 was similarly assaulted twice before, allegedly by BJP workers.
He said that the BJP in Tripura has launched an attack on all “democratic-minded, secular and peace-loving citizens”, and the issue of the Left Front coming under such an assault, therefore, does not concern only Tripura.
He alleged that the Left Front’s 16 MLAs are being prevented from visiting their respective constituencies.
Also read: BJP Workers Attack Media Houses, CPI(M) Offices Across Tripura, Over 10 Injured
“The situation is dire. Even I was stopped from visiting various parts of the state and my own constituency at least 15 times,” said Sarkar, who was most recently prevented from addressing a rally on September 6. He added that while all opposition parties, including the Congress and the Trinamool Congress, have come under attack, the Left Front, especially the Communist Party of India (Marxist) has borne the brunt of the BJP’s assault.
Yesterday, BJP hooligans tried to stop comrade Manik Sarkar from entering into his own constituency and from holding a demonstration at a block office. Comrade Manik Sarkar led the demonstrations despite these attempts by the BJP goons. pic.twitter.com/N2PEircnlt
— CPI (M) (@cpimspeak) September 7, 2021
“In Tripura, I am forced to say, the constitution of India doesn’t work,” Sarkar told members of the press.
He said that the BJP’s attacks were planned to stop the opposition from carrying out any democratic activity, and these have surged in the face of opposition parties, especially the CPI(M), leading the protests against Biplab Kumar Deb’s “misrule” and BJP’s failure to fulfil its electoral promises. “We are under attack because we are mobilising people on livelihood issues. They (BJP workers and leaders) are trying to isolate us from the masses. But we will take up this political challenge and keep going to the people,” Sarkar said.
Also read: Tripura BJP Stopping Left Parties’ Humanitarian Efforts, Says Former CM Manik Sarkar
The four-time former chief minister said that such attacks had begun in 2018, immediately after the BJP came to power, when “90% of the opposition candidates” were physically prevented from filing their nominations in the local body polls. He added that the 2019 parliamentary elections witnessed wholesale rigging by the ruling BJP, forcing the election commission of India to intervene.
Not just the opposition, but also media houses, journalists and advocates who have taken up cases of state’s excesses have been attacked, Sarkar alleged.
“In the past one-and-a-half years when people were reeling from the pandemic, 35 media persons were physically attacked. Courageous advocates who were fighting cases highlighting state’s failures were also similarly attacked,” he said.
Addressing the press briefing with Sarkar, CPI(M)’s general secretary Sitaram Yechury called the attacks “reprehensible violence by the ruling BJP”. A short video clip was also played, which appeared to show regional BJP leaders instigating workers against CPI(M). The clip noted that 43 CPI(M) party offices across the state were vandalised or set fire to, while four media houses were attacked similarly by alleged BJP workers.
#EndBJPsTripuraTerror pic.twitter.com/6mt63CZJTG
— CPI(M) West Tripura (@CPIMWestTripura) September 9, 2021
“I must make it clear that these are large-scale, deliberate and unprovoked attacks. The attacks show the real character of the BJP in Tripura,” Yechury said, adding that the attacks are the saffron party’s way to tackle the growing discontent among people against unfulfilled promises.
He said that the BJP is “violating every constitutional tenet”, chanting slogans of “Jai Shri Ram”, with the complicity of state police which have not only been silent spectators to such attacks on the opposition leaders but have also helped BJP workers perpetuate such crimes.
Also read: Tripura: Multiple FIRs Against Left Leaders for Posts Calling to Resist BJP Attackers
The BJP keeps raking up the issue of political violence in states where it is in opposition but incidents in Tripura show that when their leaders commit such acts, “they have a different set of rules”, Yechury said, adding that his letter to the Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeking a meeting to discuss the issue wasn’t even acknowledged.
The party released a statement that said:
“On September 7 and 8, 44 party offices [42 of the CPI(M), 1 Revolutionary Socialist Party, 1 Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist)] have been attacked, burnt, party property destroyed. In an unprecedented display of criminality, the State office of the CPI(M) Agartala was attacked, sought to be burnt, mobs entered the premises and vandalised the bust of veteran tribal leader and former Chief Minister Dasrath Deb. The CRPF guards deployed at the office were mysteriously withdrawn an hour before the mob attack.”
The party also said that 67 houses and shops of its workers were set fire to, while scores of its supporters were injured in such attacks on September 7 and 8.
Although saffron party leaders in the state have maintained that none of the attackers belonged to the BJP, the CPI(M) claimed that from March 2018 to June 2021, 662 party offices, 204 offices of Left mass organisations, 3,363 houses and 659 shops of its workers and supporters, and 1500 livelihood centres like fish ponds, rubber trees owned by party members were destroyed by BJP workers.
The latest violence is a result of an earlier clash that took place between BJP and CPI(M) workers on Monday at Dhanpur and Bashpukur villages of Tripura’s Sepahijala district.
Agartala: Violence erupted in various parts of Tripura after alleged BJP workers attacked offices of three media houses and three offices of the CPI(M) on Wednesday, September 8. More than 10 persons have been injured and six vehicles have been set ablaze.
The three media houses that came under attack were Pratibadi Kalam daily and its TV channel PB24, Daily Desher Katha offices in Agartala, and Duranta TV channel office based at Udaipur in Gomati district. CPI(M) state head office and sub-divisional office in the Melarmath area of West Tripura district and a local party office in Bishalgarh were also attacked.
The Wednesday’s violence is a result of a clash that took place between BJP and CPI(M) workers on Monday at Dhanpur and Bashpukur villages of Tripura’s Sepahijala district, during the visit of Manik Sarkar, former chief minister and the leader of the opposition.
As a result, on Wednesday, fresh violence was reported from Udaipur in Gomati district (located 50 kms from Agartala), Bishalgarh in Sepahijala district (located 30 kms from the state capital), and Hapania and Melarmath areas of West Tripura district. Police resorted to lathicharge and burst teargas shells in Udaipur to bring the situation under control.
A vehicle outside Pratibadi Kalam and PB 24 offices was vandalised. Photo: By arrangement.
“Full assessment is yet to be done. Around six vehicles including three cars and a few motorcycles were burnt at Agartala. Political party offices at Bishalgarh and Hapania were gutted. A party office at Udaipur district came under attack. A youth named Mafiz Miah was injured there. A case was booked in connection with the incident and two persons were arrested,” a senior official of the state police informed.
The attacks on media houses, including Pratibadi Kalam, PB 24 and Daily Desher Katha, took place when the ruling BJP organised a rally in Agartala on Wednesday protesting against the alleged attack on their party workers during Monday clashes reported from Dhanpur and Bashpukur villages of Tripura’s Sepahijala district. A mob congregated at these media houses and torched two-wheelers parked outside Pratibadi Kalam and PB 24 offices along with the vehicle of Anal Roy Chowdhury, editor.
Later, Wednesday evening Tripura Left Front convener Bijan Dhar told reporters that when they were returning from the Bishalgarh sub-division after attending a meeting they learnt that BJP cadres got a bulldozer and tore down the district party office gate and set it ablaze.
He also alleged that BJP-backed “goons” attacked CPI(M) leader Partha Pratim Majumder’s house.
About the clashes in Agartala, Dhar said the CPI(M) Sadar organisational district committee office was ransacked and attacked and later the party’s state headquarter at Melarmath area was also attacked.
“They came inside the state headquarters. I was inside. I tried to stop them, but they disregarded me, damaged party documents, smashed photo frames of our leaders, destroyed television sets and threatened us to stop our political activities. Some vehicles and motorcycles were set on fire in front of our office as well,” he recalled.
Terming the attacks as a “direct attack on democracy”, Dhar said the Left political parties would work to “politically tackle” the BJP. He also claimed that these attacks were pre-planned.
The former chief minister and leader of opposition Manik Sarkar condemned the incidents, stating that he had never seen such incidents during the Left Front government’s tenure. Sarkar said that the BJP is losing its support due to its non-performance.
He told that BJP had first attacked PB24 TV office then attacked the Sadar sub-divisional party office and later attacked CPI(M) state party office and Daily Desher Katha office.
Rubbishing the allegations, BJP spokesperson Nabendu Bhattacharya said no one from his party had attacked anyone, instead claimed that seven BJP workers were assaulted by CPI(M) activists. Bhattacharya alleged that after Sarkar instigated his party cadres, they attacked many BJP workers in the Sepahijala district.
“We have noticed that CPI(M) leaders are involved in instigating violence in the state for the last few days. Former CM Manik Sarkar instigated his party cadres to attack BJP workers in Sepahijala district two days back. In Udaipur, one of our activists was attacked and injured. Our women activists were attacked with bricks at our rally in Agartala when they were organising a protest march against the violence at Sepahijala district,” he said, adding that seven BJP activists were injured in the latest series of attacks.
On the attack against media houses, Bhattacharya said, “We are sorry if it has happened. It might have happened by mistake. It was a mistake. Our top leaders will discuss it and if it is true, required steps will be taken.”
Meanwhile, chief minister Biplab Kumar Deb on Thursday directed the crime branch to carry out an investigation on the attacks against media houses that took place on Wednesday, September 8.
Condemning the violence, Deb said that his government believed in the freedom of the press.
On Thursday, a 10-member delegation of the senior journalists, including the secretary of the Agartala Press Club, Pranab Sarkar met inspector general of police (law and order), Arindam Nath, at the police headquarters and alleged that supporters and activists of a political party attacked three media houses and vandalised them in different parts of the state on Wednesday in which at least four journalists were injured.
Senior journalists of Agartala with IG (Law and Order) Arindam Nath. Photo: By arrangement.
The police officer after hearing out senior journalists Nath told them that police had already intensified their investigation to nab culprits.
He informed that the crime branch will investigate the violence against Pratibadi Kalam and its TV wing PB24 as the editor of the media house in his complaint mentioned that the officer-in-charge of West Agartala police station was present on the scene, but did not act. He also assured them that the police will investigate the attack against Daily Desher Katha (mouthpiece of CPI(M)).
“Since the office-in-charge himself is accused of inaction, we have handed over the case to the crime branch. We have gathered huge footage from CCTV camera, so the culprits would be arrested,” Nath told the delegation.
