Debraj Deb ( Asstt. Editor-North East cum Bureau Chief-ICN Tripura )
AGARTALA: CPIM politburo secretary Sitaram Yechury today visited College Square in Belonia sub-division of South Tripura district, 90 Km from here, where a group of youths pulled down a statue of communist revolutionary icon V.I. Lenin six days back with a bulldozer.
Speaking to reporters after visiting several locations in Udaipur and Belonia sub-division in Gomati and South Tripura, Yechury said he would raise the issue of alleged post-election violence by BJP in the Parliament. He would speak with all opposition political parties to jointly raise the issue of political violence and vandalizing statues of opposition leaders.
“I condemn vandalizing statues of Periyar in Chennai, B.R. Ambedkar in different parts of the country, statues of Lenin in Tripura and also of Shyamaprasad Mukherjee in Calcutta. Such incidents are testimony of the attackers’ incapability to take on their opponents through ideology”, the communist leader said.
He claimed violence has always been an integral part of the politics of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and said they can pull down statues but they would not be able to pull down the communist ideology.
Former Chief Minister Manik Sarkar, who is also a member of politburo – CPIM’s apex policy-making body, accompanied Yechury in the tour in areas hit by alleged post-poll violence. Former revenue minister and MLA Badal Choudhury, MP Shankar Prasad Dutta and others joined them too.
Asked if he expected any turnaround of his party soon, Yechury today said ‘people of the country have resisted onslaught of RSS in the past and have overcome. We will do it again’. “They can’t succeed in this type of politics”, he said.
He added that all issues of alleged post-election violence including vandalization of Lenin statues at Belonia and Sabroom would be raised at the Parliament. CPM would talk with all opposition parties to jointly raise issues of vandalizing statues, he said.
A video that went viral showed a group of youths demolishing a statue of Lenin at College Square six days back amid loud chants of ‘Bharat Mata ki Jai’, where it stood since 2015. Another statue was allegedly demolished at Sabroom in South Tripura on the same day. BJP has denied involvement in the incidents so far.
Sitaram Yechury today also tabled six point demands before the newly elected state govt of Tripura and sought its intervention to immediately stop all attacks on opposition supporters, announce a compensation package for those affected by alleged post-election violence.
