Cong squabble in Tripura deepens

AGARTALA, April 6 ? Congress squabble in Tripura has deepened yesterday when Youth Congress president Sudip Roy Barman demanded immediate removal of PCC president Birajit Sinha. His demand has given a new twist to the perennial interrnecine strife, that too when the State Assembly elections are only eight months away. Roy Barman in a press conference yesterday demanding PCC president?s removal alleged, ?Sinha has not only failed to run the party affairs and live upto the expectation of the grass root workers, it is also during his tenure that party?s image has been tarnished to a great extent.? The Youth Congress chief?s demand came close on the heels of Sinha?s announcement that the party would go for selecting candidate for the next Assembly polls and that, two AICC observers, RK Tombi and S Rajkumar, would arrive here to supervise the process. Roy Barman taking a dig at the PCC president for enforcing his personal decisions as AICC decisions said, ?I have talked to the secretary to Manishankar Aiyer in Delhi last night. He clarified that the AICC had only instructed the two representatives to supervise the organisational activities of the party in all the districts.? ?There was no instruction on selecting candidates for the 40 unreserved seats on behalf of the AICC,? said visibly agitated Roy Barman. He alleged that Sinha had been indulging in factionalism in the party.

?We support the alliance with the INPT but people should also know what are the basis of the tie up. The PCC president should come out in open on the issue with details instead of maintaining a hush hush,? said the Young Congress president. ?We have already lost several elections under Sinha?s presidentship. Erosion of people?s faith on Congress for his poor handling of party affairs is showing. If Sinha is not removed from the party top post forthwith and the trend goes on then Congress will stand no chance to oust the Left Front despite people?s displeasure about the present government,? he observed and added: If Sinha is removed, I am confident Congress and INPT will storm into the power. MLA Kashiram Reang and Congress leader Jitendra Das who were also present in the press conference have alleged that Sinha, who lacks foresight, has reduced the Congress in Tripura to regional level.