Right to dissent suppressed by BJP, says former Tripura CM Manik Sarkar

Former Tripura Chief Minister and politburo member Manik Sarkar on July 7^th, 2020 trained all his guns on the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and accused it of fostering an undemocratic culture in the state. According to Manik, the present establishment did its best so far to intimidate the sections, which were raising voice against it. 

“Right to dissent is a democratic value which has been consistently browbeaten by a section of BJP workers all throughout the state. People are finding no other way out but to join the stir against these anti-social forces in the state”, Sarkar claimed.

Sarkar, who was addressing the media in the sidelines of a Left Front’s statewide stir, also said, “To begin with, 10,323 teachers who were once allured of permanent settlement of their problems, now facing daily threats from BJP sheltered miscreants or being implicated in false cases. Similar was the experience in case of opposition political parties. The Left and its other wings had faced serious severe attacks while organizing blood donation camps or relief distribution to the poor. This atmosphere could not be tolerated for long”.

Also read: Tripura: Administration faces challenge to shift Covid19 patients in treatment centre

Sarkar claiming Left’s success in mobilizing more people in their pre-scheduled protests also claimed that people of the state had started to understand the emptiness of promises done by the BJP-IPFT government in Tripura and now they were venturing out in protest. “When the backrests on the wall, there is no other way but to voice charge against the perpetrators”, Sarkar added.

Sarkar also slammed the Modi government for its hurried approach on the COVID-19 vaccine and said the centre was trying to play out politics even in this pandemic situation. “The innovators, the researchers and experts are being literally threatened to expedite such a complicated process of clinical trials of COVID-19 vaccines in a very short period to get the vaccine available within the August 15^th, 2020. This is sheer politics being played out in guise health research. Almost every researcher in the field is annoyed and describing it as an unscientific move by the Centre,” the former CM pointed out.

He also highlighted other demands like free rations and monthly dole of Rs 7,500 for non-tax paying citizens, free pesticides and seeds for farmers and etc.

Meanwhile, all the Left front constituents along with CPIML staged massive protests across the state in all the sub-division headquarters placing a 6 point charter of demand from the party. As a part of its statewide protests, the central event was held at Agartala where Left activists staged a human chain connecting all the prominent city points.  

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