Agartala: Former Tripura Chief Minister and senior Left Front leader Manik Sarkar on Sunday launched a sharp attack on the ruling BJP and its alliance partners, alleging that Left Front representatives willing to contest the upcoming Village Council elections are facing threats and intimidation.
Sarkar was speaking at the Triennial Conference of the Tripura Pratibandhi Adhikar Mancha, held at the Dasharath Dev Memorial Hall in Agartala.
Addressing the gathering, Sarkar alleged that the CPI(M) and other Left Front parties are facing difficulties in finalising candidates for the forthcoming Village Council elections due to what he described as continuous pressure from the BJP and its alliance partners, including the IPFT and TIPRA Motha.
According to Sarkar, several Left Front representatives who have expressed interest in contesting the elections are allegedly being threatened. He further claimed that, in some cases, their family members have also been subjected to intimidation.
Sarkar said the alleged pressure has made some prospective candidates reluctant to enter the electoral race, creating difficulties for the Left Front in preparing its final list of candidates.
The former Chief Minister accused the ruling alliance of attempting to discourage political opponents from participating in the electoral process. He alleged that such intimidation could adversely affect the democratic environment and prevent voters from having a wider choice of candidates.
Sarkar also spoke about the rights and welfare of persons with disabilities during the conference. Recalling initiatives undertaken during his tenure as Chief Minister, he claimed that his government had implemented several welfare measures for persons with disabilities.
He alleged that the present government is not giving adequate importance to the concerns of the disabled community.
“We do not want sympathy; we want equal rights and equal opportunities,” Sarkar said, stressing the need for accessibility, equal dignity and personal freedom.
He called for persons with disabilities to be treated as equal members of society and provided adequate opportunities to participate in education, employment, social activities and public life.
Sarkar also emphasised the need to strengthen the rights of persons with disabilities and ensure that government policies, public services and infrastructure are made genuinely accessible.
The Village Council elections are expected to be a key political contest in Tripura, with the BJP and its allies seeking to consolidate their position while opposition parties prepare to field candidates.
