Tribal wing of CPM in Tripura gaining grounds

AGARTALA, March 15 : Tripura Rajya Gana Mukti Parishad (GMP) the tribal wing of the ruling CPM, is now preparing to stage a comeback. The GMP, once the key players in making the tribal-dominated hills of Tripura a strong red bastion, was facing unprecedented terror campaign letloose by NLFT militants against it, allegedly 47 the behest of Indigenous Peoples Front (now Indigenous nationalist Party of Tripura). During the last one year the GMP lost 44 senior leaders as the NLFT militants resorted to selective killings. Several hundreds had to flee from their villages and as the IPFT, already ADC power, came in to fill up the political vacuum, the steady erosion of GMP?s 50-year old base got momentum. The CPM State committee convention held in the first week of February last also expressed serious concern as the erosion of GMP?s base. But of late, more precisely after the Lok Sabha bye-poll held in February 21, the situation seems to be turning better for the Marxists in the hills. The GMP central committee meeting held recently noted that its membership had increased several fold in recent time. AGMP leader said, during this current year more than nine thousand families have joined the party. ?The terror strikes by NLFT against us have angered the tribals and who were once IPFT supporters are now turning to us for peace and development,? he observed. The recent phenomention has boosted the morale as well political prospect of the ruling CPM particularly when the State is going to assembly polls early next year. Following the Congress-INPT (IPFT and TUJS combined force) the Bengali electorate has already swung towards CPM. The Bengalis, mostly rural voters, resent the alliance as INPT is largely viewed as an anti-Bengali force backed by tribal insurgents who are carrying out mass massacres and bloody offensive in an attempt to drive out non-tribals from ADC areas.