Thousands of Left activists, leaders court arrest in Tripura

AGARTALA - Over 171,000 leaders and activists of the Left Front Thursday courted arrest in Left-ruled Tripura as part of their nation-wide “jail bharo”(fill the jails) agitation demanding a curb on rising prices of essential commodities, among others.

A police spokesman said that 171,400 men and women led by Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) state secretary Bijon Dhar, party’s central committee member and MP Khagen Das, MP Jharna Das (Baidya) besides many Left legislators, heads of local bodies and tribal leaders courted arrest in 55 places across the state, mostly in front of central government offices.

Braving soaring temperature and carrying banners and placards, thousands of slogan shouting activists have gathered in front of central government offices in Agartala and other places since Thursday morning.

“When the activists and leaders broke the police cordon, we immediately arrested them,” police officials said.

The four left parties - CPI-M, Communist Party of India (CPI), Revolutionary Socialist Party (RSP) and Forward Bloc - organised the agitation to demand that the government solve the unemployment problem and undertake land reforms, besides dealing with the price rise.

“The UPA (United Progressive Alliance) government has rejected the left parties demand to cut customs and excise duties on crude oil to reduce retail prices of petrol and diesel. It would help in reducing prices of essential commodities,” state CPI-M spokesman Gautam Das told media persons.

Except Left-ruled West Bengal, Kerala and Tripura, the land reforms were not undertaken anywhere else in the country, he claimed.

“If the UPA government does not learn the lesson from Thursday’s successful nation-wide agitation, the left parties would intensify the struggle,” said Das, who also courted arrest.