Sarkar accuses Rajiv Gandhi of boosting insurgency

Agartala: Tripura Chief Minister, Manik Sarkar on Saturday accused Mizoram CM, Lal Thanhawala and former Prime Minister, Rajiv Gandhi of encouraging insurgency in the state to evict the Left Front government during the 1988 elections.
The trend of mobilizing extremists in electoral politics has still been continuing in Tripura since then, he said while addressing an election rally ahead of Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council (ADC) poll scheduled on May 3 in Ambassa of Dhalai district in North Tripura.
“Opposition, Congress and its alliance parties have shaken hands with NLFT militants in 1993, 1998, 2003 and 2008 assembly elections. The Congress had fought all the four ADC elections in Tripura with the direct support of tribal militants. This time is not an exception,” Sarkar stated here on Saturday.
He also said, “with the help of gun-toting NLFT militants and the then Brigadier of Assam Rifles in Tripura B K Panwar, Indigenous Peoples Front of Tripura (IPFT) assumed power of Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council (ADC) in 2000.
Mr Sarkar further alleged that the Congress was against the creation of ADC for empowerment of tribal people of Tripura. Erstwhile, Congress chief minister Sukhomoy Sengupta had agitated against the move of ADC in 1982.
During Congress and its tribal ally, Tripura Upajati Yuba Samiti rule in 1988-92, ADC mal-functioned.
But it got back its functional power in 1993 when the LF came to power.
He also said that in ADC election of 2000, former Brigadier of Assam Rifles Panwar had played an active role for wiping out the Left. Panwar had mobilized banned militant outfit NLFT. He has also deployed the Assam Rifles in election duty. (UNI)