Tripura Pradesh Congress Committee president Pijush Biswas on Sunday urged people to support dawn-to dusk bandh on Monday (September 21) across the State. The State unit of Congress called the bandh in support of 12-point charter of demand. In a press conference in Agartala on Sunday, Pijush Biswas detailed about the demands and cited justification of the strike-call against ruling BJP-IPFT alliance. One of the prime demands of 12-point charter is the demand for improving Covid19 treatment facilities at the GBP Hospital in Agartala.
Biswas asserted that the movement that had been initiated in the State would last until people of Tripura become successful in throwing out the BJP from the helm of the power. He said, the BJP often refuses to accept the real facts. They are nowhere. People from all sections of the society are extending support to the Congress called strike slated to be held on September 21.
“A day long strike may cause serious challenges for the daily wagers and people working in unorganized sectors. However, despite all this, such people are also determined to make the Bandh a success”, the PCC president claimed.
Justifying call of a statewide strike, Biswas said, “The Chief Minister refused to meet PCC members. We as a responsible party never tried to overburden the problems of people through a Bandh. As a major opposition party we should be given the chance to apprise the Chief Minister of the prevailing situation. People are dying everywhere due to Covid 19. Hospitals are not in the position to tackle the burden of patients. At the same time, we have witnessed rampant attacks on journalists. The all powerful Chief Minister is accountable to give answers but he has chosen the path of an escape. And, thus the Congress decided to hold the strike for the interest of the people that stood most neglected”.
Biswas also took a swipe at the BJP and BMS activists who had been seen spearheading a campaign against the strike across the state and said that no intimidation could stop the Congress workers now.
“We have seen as to how the BMS campaigned against the strike. Stalled in front of the West Agartala Police station, the BMS workers hurled abuses on the Congress workers. They did everything that can cause some untoward incident. We had instructed our party workers not to get involved in any sort of unprecedented incident. In some areas, the BJP hooligans and police had been instructed to target Congress workers in order to prevent them from joining tomorrow’s protest. But, I would like to say it clearly that this movement would not stop until and unless the state witnessed another political change of guard”, said Biswas.
In an oblique reference to a statement made by minister Ratan Lal Nath, he said, “The minister has been seen saying that Congress is struggling with its existence. But, during the Loksabha polls when they have put forth all their efforts to prevent opposition voters, Congress succeeded to secure 10,000 votes in Mohanpur. This aptly describes influence of the Congress party.” He also said that the Congress’s vote share witnessed a considerable increase during the Lok Sabha polls–a farewell alarm for the ruling party.
He also warned the BJP of its own people and said, “Many of the ruling Ministers and MLAs are coming in social media lives. They are now out spoken against their own government. So I will suggest the Chief Minister to tackle the problems of his own party before pointing fingers at others”.
Replying to the queries on the new in-charge, he said, “On September 18 last, the new general secretary in-charge of Tripura called me for an urgent meeting. After hours of fruitful discussion, I can say that he is the man who can give Congress a new face shift in Tripura. He has asked me to prepare a list of information that he wants to go through before his arrival in the State. Expectedly, he will come here on a 4-day visit very shortly. In his first visit, he will preside over meeting with block level leaders to PCC leaders”.
