Agartala, Sept 9: At least eight important party offices of the main opposition CPI-M were either burnt down or damaged while many vehicles and other assets were smashed on Wednesday in Agartala and three other districts in Tripura, police and party sources said.
The Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) leaders including party’s politburo member and former Chief Minister Manik Sarkar alleged that the ruling party workers led by BJP leaders have resorted to these attacks in the party headquarters and district office in Agartala, southern Tripura’s Udaipur, Santir Bazar, Western Tripura’s Dukli, and at Boxanagar, Bishalgarh and Khatalia in Sepehijala districts.
BJP leaders, however, denied the allegations.
Major losses for CPI-M
State’s Left Front convener Bijan Dhar said that the CPI-M’s district office at Bishalgarh was first damaged by the bulldozer then set on fire, reducing most of the assets and papers to ashes.
He said that six vehicles and more than a dozen two-wheelers were burnt down in Agartala and other places.
“Ministers, Deputy Speaker of the state Assembly and senior BJP leaders in the recent past are urging their party workers and members to continue attacks on the opposition party members and offices,” Dhar alleged.
He said that a large number of party members and workers including two leaders Nani Paul and Partha Pratim Majumder were seriously injured in the series of attacks and arsoning on Wednesday.
CPI-M claims BJP behind attacks
Dhar, a CPI-M central committee member, said that the “BJP goons” have damaged the statue and photographs of former Chief Minister Dasaratha Deb and other late party leaders in the party offices.
The Left leader said that the “BJP backed goons and their workers” also attacked the office of the party mouthpiece “Daily Desher Katha”.
Sarkar, who was the Chief Minister for 20 years (1998-2018), said that during the arsoning and unprecedented attacks on the CPI-M party offices in different parts of Tripura he spoke to the Chief Secretary Kumar Alok and senior police officials requesting to stop these pre-planned political violence.
“Police in most places remained mute spectators as the BJP men unleashed the reign of terror almost simultaneously in 8 to 10 places,” he told the media.
BJP’s denies allegations
BJP spokesman Nabendu Bhattacharjee said that former Chief Minister Manik Sarkar himself has been instigating the violence in different parts of Tripura to create a lawlessness in the peaceful state.
“On Monday (Sept 6), Sarkar while visiting his assembly constituency Dhanpur provoked the CPI-M workers to unleash attacks on the BJP workers. People of the state do not want to repeat the political violence that was the regular happenings during the 25 years of CPI-M rule.”
“Today (Wednesday) when the BJP members and leaders were holding rallies in Agartala and other places of Tripura, stones were hurled from the CPI-M offices on the peaceful processions,” Bhattacharjee claimed.
