Cong, Left to boycott BJP ministry’s swearing-in-ceremony

way2barak, March 7 : Opposition Congress and the CPI-M led Left parties would boycott the swearing-in-ceremony of the Chief Ministers and other ministers of the second BJP government on Wednesday due to the “unprecedented reign of terror unleashed by the BJP supporters and goons” .

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah, BJP President J.P. Nadda, several central leaders and Chief Ministers would attend the ceremony at the Swami Vivekananda Maidan.

A Left Front statement said that former Chief Minister and CPI-M politburo member Manik Sarklar and Secretaries of the CPI-M, CPI, RSP and Forward Bloc were invited by the state government to attend the swearing-in-ceremony but the Front has decided to boycott the event due to unprecedented reign of terror “unleashed by the BJP supporters and goons” across the state since the announcement of the assembly election results on March 2.

On similar grounds, the Congress will boycott Wednesday’s oath taking ceremony.

Tripura state Congress President and former Minister Birajit Sinha said that since the announcement of the February 16 assembly election results on March 2, over a thousand incidents of violence have taken place in Tripura.

Blaming the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party, the Congress leader said at least three persons were killed while over 200 people injured in the series of incidents of violence.

Many properties, including rubber gardens, shops, business establishments, vehicles and houses were destroyed and burnt down during the violence, which still continued, Sinha alleged.

The Tripura Congress chief threatened to launch a statewide agitation if the violence not stopped immediately.

CPI-M’s Tripura secretary Jitendra Chowdhury said : “In view of the series of attacks since March 2, thousands of people, including women and children, fled from their homes. They took shelter in the jungle and outside the state.”

He said that the “BJP goons and party workers attacked people, burning down their houses and properties”.

“Police remained a silent spectator and refused to register FIRs. Some people were detained for a while in connection with the violent incidents and after some time were let off,” Chowdhury told the media.

He said that in the February 16 assembly polls, over 61 per cent of people did not cast their votes in favour of the BJP, adding that the saffron party’s 11 per cent vote share declined compared to the 2018 assembly polls’ outcome.

The Congress and the Left leaders met Chief Secretary J.K.Sinha and Director General of Police Amitabh Ranjan and submitted memorandum detailing the incidents of violence and demanded immediate strict actions against the perpetrators.