People's Democracy

TRIPURA

Special Session Votes INPT Out Of ADC

THE exemplary coming together of the people and the administration in the Left Front ruled Tripura is propelling a process of political polarisation in the state. This process bore fruit when the INPT lost its control of the Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council (TTAADC, in short ADC) after a no confidence motion was put to vote at an extraordinary ADC session convened on July 31. It is known that the INPT is the overground wing of the outlawed extremist organisation called the NLFT.

Incidentally, ever since the INPT usurped the ADC with the help of the NLFT’s guns and with the connivance of the Congress party in the May 2000 ADC polls, it had unleashed an unbridled reign of corruption and nepotism in this body. That foiled the basic aim of the ADC’s creation --- to look after the Tripura tribal people’s welfare and development. The creation of the ADC about two decades ago was itself the product of a long and arduous struggle, led by the Left Front and joined by the state’s tribal and non-tribal people together. Among other things, the ADC was also to as a means to bridging the ethnic and economic divide between the two major communities of Tripura.

When in control of the ADC, the INPT also went so far as to pamper the NLFT extremists and misused the ADC funds for fostering extremism in the state. Not surprisingly, this brought to a grinding halt all development work in the backward ADC areas. Furthermore, it was such falsification of the people’s mandate in the elections to the ADC, a vital democratic and constitutional body, that enthused the Congress party to struck a political and electoral alliance with the INPT. The aim was to replay the same scenario in the state assembly elections in February this year, though the people’s vigilance all over the state, including the tribal areas, aborted the bid. The alliance still stands intact. Understandably, the Congress-INPT combine, that forms the opposition in state assembly, left no stone unturned to enable the INPT to stick to power in the ADC and thereby to go on gnawing the fabric of ethnic harmony, democracy and development in Tripura for narrow political gains.

On July 22, seven INPT members including the chairman of the currently 29- member ADC parted their ways from the erstwhile 18-member ruling INPT group in the ADC and apprised the governor of their withdrawal of support from the ADC executive committee led by Debabrata Koloi, a NLFT stooge. (See People’s Democracy, August 3 issue.) Having formed a new political party called the Nationalist Socialist Party of Tripura (NSPT), they sought support from the CPI(M) to work for restoration of peace and harmony in the ADC areas for welfare of the betrayed and backward ADC population. Next day, the 8-member opposition CPI(M) group in the ADC and the NSPT members served a no confidence notice against chief executive member, Debabrata Koloi. As per the provisions under the 6th schedule of the Indian constitution, ADC chairman Hirendra Tripura had to then call an extraordinary session for debate and vote on the no confidence motion on July 31.

In spite of a clear loss of its majority in the ADC, the INPT --- coupled with the state leadership of its alliance partner, the Congress party --- launched a hectic and heinous attempt to pose legal hurdles against the holding of the July 31 extraordinary session.

At the beginning of the July 31 ADC session, opposition leader and CPI(M) member Radhacharan Debbarma moved the no confidence motion and charged the INPT with having absolutely corrupted and collapsed the ADC administration in the last three years. Welcoming the NSPT’s bold step of breaking away from the INPT in the teeth of all terror and temptation, he expressed the hope that a new, honest and transparent ADC executive committee would be formed. This is vital in order to fulfil the people’s hope and aspiration and to facilitate the return of the misguided militants to the mainstream, Radhacharan Debbarma said. He added that the passage of the no confidence motion against the Debabrata Koloi led ADC executive committee, a political platform of the outlawed extremists, would go a long way in ensuring the smooth and transparent functioning of the ADC.

On the contrary, in an infantile insistence on scrapping the extraordinary session itself, Debabrata Koloi led the walkout of the entire minority 11-member INPT group before the no confidence motion could be put to vote. In the end, 17 members cast their votes in favour of the motion, thereby sealing the fate of the INPT.

Incidentally, one seat remains vacant in the 30-member ADC after a Left Front member was elected legislator in the February assembly elections. The ADC has one independent and 2 nominated members.

Ever since the formation of the fifth Left Front government after the people foiled the Congress-INPT bid to hijack the February 26 assembly polls with the help of extremist guns, the state has seen a storm of concerted counter-insurgency operations coordinated by the Left Front government. The campaign forms part of the Left Front’s three-pronged strategy, based on ideological, administrative and developmental measures, to combat insurgency with the support and participation of the masses. As a result, landslide erosion is going on in the rank and file of the heinous Congress-INPT combine to join the leftist camp. A number of militants have been captured in the crackdowns by the police and the paramilitary forces. Significantly, effective tip-offs from the people are making up the paucity of paramilitary forces, even if partly.

The ousting of the ruling INPT from the ADC, along with the continuation of the Congress-INPT alliance, is therefore to be viewed in the perspective of the ongoing political polarisation set in motion by the Left Front government with the people’s massive participation in the anti-insurgency operations. The people’s splendid cooperation with the security forces, also reflects their ardent desire for restoration of peace and forging of development in this backward, landlocked state. (INN)