CPM fields 22 candidates; Pledges to fight communal forces

GUWAHATI, April 19: State Committee of the CPM today announced that it would field 22 candidates in the ensuing election to the State Assembly. The party also released its poll manifesto for the purpose. Addressing a press conference here this afternoon, State CPM secretary Hemen Das said that its main election plank this time is to make the people aware about the threat posed by communalism to the people of the State. The party will engage itself both inside the Assembly and outside it, to resist the communal forces and their designs to divide the people on communal lines. For, the party recognises communalism as the worst of the dangers confronting the people of the State today, Das said. The second most important issue for the party in Assam today is the all round development of the State. But, to ensure rapid progress of the State, a peaceful condition is the unavoidable condition. For that, there should be efforts at resolving the issue of insurgency in an expeditious manner. Both the Government side and the insurgent groups' side should come forward to resolve their issues amicably through negotiation and no side should slap any pre-condition for holding negotiation, he said. Moreover, he said, the Centre should also give up its discriminatory attitude towards the State and extend special financial help to the State so as to enable it to expedite the process of development. The Centre should recognise the State's problem of flood as a national problem and shoulder all the responsibilities to control both the Brahmaputra and the Barak. Similarly, the Centre should bear all the expenses for providing the State with adequate infrastructure and for maintaining law and order in the State, besides waiving all the Central loans to the State, Das said. The other planks of the party include autonomy to the tribals, development of the char areas, legitimate wages to the tea garden workers, holding of the panchayat election in the State, steps to make an end to the process initiated for job shrinkage in Government departments and for privatisation of the public sector enterprises, among others, he said. Candidates: The party has nominated Nurul Huda for Lakhipur constituency, Sushil Choudhuri for Udarband, Chunilal Bhattacharjee for Barkhola, Gopesh Namasudra for Ratabari, Sasha Kamal Handique for Naharkatia, Kasi Tasa for Tingkhong, Robin Tamuli for Rangapara and Tarun Nath for Borchala. The party has nominated Premananda Bora for Biswanath, Upen Panging for Dhemaji, Bandana Gogoi for Bihpuria, Hemen Das for Sorbhog, Nizamuddin Khan for Sarukshetri, Karim Bhuyan for Jania, Fajlur Rahman for Chenga, Ananta Deka for Rangia, Purna Bora for Jalukbari, Abdul Mannan for Lumding, Sopiar Rahman for Dhubri, Parimal Chakravarty for Bijni, Mahodhar Pathak for Abhayapuri (North) and Hareswar Das for Bongaigaon. Electoral Understanding: The State CPM is holding negotiations with the CPI, Samajwadi Party and the RSP State leaders on matters of putting up a joint fight against the AGP-BJP combine as well as the Congress during the ensuing Assembly election. However, this electoral understanding should not be viewed as an alliance or a front as such formations come through an arduous process and not abruptly, Das said. He also said that State CPM's decision to field its candidates in 22 Assembly constituencies would in no way hamper the process of negotiations that are on with the above parties, nor there would be any problem with the CPI for its apparent soft attitude towards the Congress, he said. On the issue of including some more like-minded parties like the CPI-ML (Liberation) in the political conglomerate, Das said, "Our doors are open to other democratic parties too. But, we will be able to present a clear picture on all such issues only on April 27. We will be holding a joint press conference that day to make everything public", he said, adding, however, "the State CPM will stick to the constituencies it has already laid its claim on." Senior leaders of the State CPM Nandeswar Talukdar and Uddhav Barman were also present in the press conference.