The CPI(ML) in Tripura held its 7th State Party Conference on 11-12 May, 2007 at Karbook, a tribal area under Amarpur Sub-Division. The venue was named “Sapta-Shaheed Nagar” after the seven martyrs of Tripura of the initial days of Left Front rule. The conference was attended by 93 delegates & 15 observers from all the four districts comprising a good number of fresh cadres from among tribals, women & youth, newly joined forces from CPM/other left partners & tribal organizations. Comrade Rubul Sharma, Polit-bureau Member and incharge of the NE zone was the Chief Guest and Comrade Swadesh Bhattacharya, Polit-Bureau Member, as Central Observer.

Followed by the Flag-hoisting and homage to the great martyrs, the open session began with a Rally which drew the attention of the huge gathering in the Karbook market on the weekly Haat-day. Speakers in the open session spoke of upholding the tradition of the Tripurites – tribals & non-tribals, student-youth & intelligentsia, particularly the working people and their leaders who worked & struggled hard & sacrificed their lives, rejected reactionary Congress regime time & again, denied space to BJP & Trinamul Congress and established the left movement in Tripura. Today, CPI(ML) is the only party bent upon and committed to carry forward this fine tradition to a newer height in the changed conditions of Tripura, the speakers added, and called upon all honest & sincere people to keep on Red Flag hold-high and join the onward march of the Red Flag upheld by the CPI(ML) while discarding the opportunistic degenerated CPM leadership and foiling Congress’s sinister attempts to come-back from the back-door or BJP-Trinamul fishing in the troubled waters.

The Delegate-session began with a warm welcome of the delegates, observers & guests, chairing of a five-member Presidium headed by Com. Chiranjeev and presentation of the Report of the outgoing State Committee by Com. Mrinmay. The Report put the present situation in Tripura in perspective.

If the ‘Bengal model’ of the Left Front rule began its journey with brutal crack-down on the Naxalbari peasant uprising and killings under the blessings of the Cong.(I) at the centre, and has now displayed its degeneration in full bloom in Singur & Nandigram, in Tripura, the CPM- led LF rule began with cold-blooded killings of Com. Govind Teli and six others, the youths who were inspired by the “Naxalbari”, dreamed & devoted themselves “to serve the people” and to revolution. The commission set by the Govt. found them innocent and the police official guilty of cold-blooded murder. But the LF Govt. honoured the concerned police official with promotion and an award! And today, though Tripura failed in eligibility test to embrace SEZ, it rushed to World Bank, Japan, Germany and other bosses. A new class of ‘Vikas Mafia’ has come up, comprising corrupt contractors, commission agents, plantation-owners, Bosses who are free to extort money and grab the cream of welfare development schemes – many of them are identified as CPM leaders/cadres. This has been institutionalized upto ‘Panchayati Raj’. “Land reform”, agro-based indigenous industries, fisheries, poultry, self-employment schemes – all these bygone slogans lie forgotten. Land Revenue & Reform Act, 1979 (aiming to protect the rights of the share croppers & enrolment), Land Pass Book Act 1982 (for facilitating Band loan to peasants), Agricultural Workers Act 1986 – all have been thrown aside. The number of landless goes up to more than one lakh; 4 lakh 13 thousand stand homeless in this tiny state. Unemployment & price-rise as well as scams, and crimes against women by those in power abound. NREGA & BPL too cannot escape the loot-corruption-net. Tribal upliftment has turned into tribal-evictions, tribal-zones are left to the whims of militant groups and bear the brunt of state terror.

CPI(ML) is at the forefront of struggles on land recovery, Ration Cards, for introducing Panchayat law in ADC (Autonomous Dist. Council area); for implementing Agricultural Labour Act, 1986, introducing NREGA in all the four districts, job & increased wages; on demands of the Tea Garden workers; on BPL, Housing to all, on “Annapurna”, “Antyodaya”, “old age pension” schemes, etc. against corruptions in Panchayats, crimes against women, repression of Tribals & Dalits; and for repeal of all black laws including ‘Terrorist affected Area Act’ and AFSPA, and to establish rights of the tribals on forests & land, employment-health-education- public amenities, etc.

The Conference undertook the target of doubling the party membership with 20% women, organizing all the members in Branches; doubling the AIALA membership and organizing panchayat level committees of AIALA and to further develop all other mass organizations and to increase the circulation of the state party organ “Nabasphulinga”. It undertook the task of developing some selected pockets as areas of model practice directly guided and led by state-leadership.

The Conference elected a 17-member State Committee, with about 60% new incumbents including 2 women, Com. Mrinmay re-elected as State Secretary. The Conference ended with the confidence that Tripura is on the verge of a fresh uprising of the left movement under the banner of CPI(ML). 