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Agartala, Oct. 18: The war of words between the Congress and the CPM worsened today with leader of the Opposition, Ratanlal Nath, blaming the CPM leadership for trying to reduce Assembly polls to a farce by engaging the banned ATTF to attack and scare away voters.
“The Tripura People’s Democratic Front (TPDF), a political front of the banned ATTF, has disclosed in a recent statement that the CPM sought their help in election. This means that the CPM is trying to intimidate voters, specially those belonging to the indigenous community, to vote for them,” Nath said, flaunting a copy of the statement made by the TPDF.
He claimed that CPM leaders had held a meeting with surrendered militants in Amarpur subdivision of Gomati district in a bid to “turning the election into a farce”.
Nath was interacting with the media at Congress Bhawan here.
“In the last 19 months, 2,600 people have been killed. Of this, 1,900 were our workers and supporters. Having realised that the election will be hard to win, the CPM is trying to deploy goons and its terror squads, including active and surrendered militants, for falsifying the upcoming polls,” Nath alleged.
He, however, refused to comment on PCC president Sudip Roy Barman who has been named in an FIR filed by a colonel for assaulting him.
Nath’s comments drew sharp criticism from the CPM. The party’s office secretary, Haripada Das, described Nath’s comments as “blatant falsehood and sign of desperation”.
“Nath knows that his party is heading for its worst drubbing in the upcoming Assembly polls and he himself is in a real danger of losing the election. This is the reason why he has lost all his senses,” Das said. He also lashed out at Nath for not making any comment on the FIR filed against the PCC president.
“He should hang his head in shame and should not come out in public; his PCC president is in hiding to escape arrest though he will be picked up soon. Can Nath give any explanation? The FIR was filed by an army colonel and not by the CPM,” Das said.
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