NLFT shadow over Tripura council polls

AGARTALA, March 13: The crisis in the Indigenous Peoples' Front of Tripura over the election of a new executive council and member has taken a turn for the worse with the murder of a party worker and direct interference by a militant outfit in the election process. The ousted chief executive member, Debabrata Koloi, who had been planning a revolt, was called by the "invisible allies" to the remote Vaishyamonipara and warned against defecting from the IPFT. Police sources said clashes broke out between rival groups owing allegiance to ousted chief Koloi and aspirant Sridam Debbarma after 23 party offices in the interior areas were shut down. The sources said 10 youth were injured as two rival groups of IPFT workers and supporters clashed in the Tulasikhar area under Khowai subdivision last evening. After a lull, the fighting intensified when one group ambushed and killed a rival supporter identified as Rabindra Debbarma. Another worker, Dayananda Debbarma, was seriously injured and admitted to Khowai hospital. Two persons have been arrested in this connection. The sources said tension was simmering in other parts of the state as the clashes threatened to deepen the ethnic chasm between the majority Tripuri and several minority tribal groups. With only six days left for the special session of the Autonomous District Council on March 19, the question of electing a new executive council and member remained unresolved. Highly-placed sources in the IPFT said their "invisible allies" (the National Liberation Front of Twipra) was taking a keen interest in forcing a solution to the crisis. The sources said Koloi was warned by the NLFT's area commander against deserting the party and joining hands with the CPM. Shortly after his ouster, Koloi had a meeting with state education minister Anil Sarkar. However, Koloi dismissed speculation that he, along with his seven followers, might join hands with the 10 Left Front district council members to form an alternative 17-member executive council in the 28-member House. The sources said the "invisible allies" had issued strict instructions to all the 18 elected IPFT members of the council to stay put at the headquarters at Khumlung under Jirania police station till March 19. Bengali issue: The Left Front appears lukewarm to the idea of enforcing the use of Bengali, first official language in Tripura, in administrative and judicial work. The ambivalent attitude of the government towards this sensitive issue came to the fore from a reply by Anil Sarkar who was officiating as leader of the House in the Assembly yesterday in the absence of the Chief Minister. Congress MLA Ratan Lal Nath asked whether the government has made use of Bengali in administrative work compulsory. In reply, Sarkar said the government had recognised the need for using the language. Nath, having raised a number of supplementary questions, said in reply to his earlier letter, the Chief Minister had promised to look into the matter but no follow-up action had been taken. He also pointed out how the poor and uneducated people were suffering because of the use of English in administrative and judicial work. This led to a heated exchange between members of the Opposition and the treasury benches. Finally, Sarkar said the government did not differ with Nath's basic contention but deviated from the main issue to indicate that English could not be dropped at this stage. Sarkar's lack of enthusiasm on the issue surprised many as he was the mastermind behind the celebration of February 21 as Bhasha Divas.