Agartala, Jan. 22: The powerful but rival militant outfits, the National Liberation Front of Tripura and the All-Tripura Tiger Force, have made their stands clear ahead of the Assembly polls in the state in February.
The NLFT has already revealed its animosity towards the ruling Left Front, systematically killing tribal leaders and workers of the CPM. Sources said the killings are part of its programme to help the outfit?s alleged political front, the Indigenous Nationalist Party of Tripura, garner tribal votes through intimidation.
Its bitter rival, the Tiger Force, has asked the people to boycott the elections, calling the Left Front a ?refugee-settler government? working against the ?sons of the soil (indigenous tribals)?. The outfit, reeling under desertion and lack of cohesion, said in the latest issue of Choba (the bimonthly party organ of its political front Tripura Peoples Democratic Front) that the Left Front was ?promoting and protecting the Hindu Bengali settlers?.
The outfit warned that anyone violating the poll boycott would face dire consequences.
The Tiger Force?s stand has sent the state?s security set-up into a tizzy because the outfit had never called a poll boycott in the previous elections. Official sources here said it would complicate the pre-poll scenario and increase the possibility of violence in Sadar (north) and Khowai subdivisions, the outfit?s strongholds.
More than 150 camps of Tripura State Rifles have been set up in remote areas of the state over the past six months to prevent militancy-related incidents in those places. This step has considerably checked the activities of the two outfits.
The NLFT, more inclined towards issuing poll boycotts before the Autonomous District Council election in 2000, has changed its tactics this time. It has launched a terror campaign against the ruling Left Front, especially the CPM.
Speaking at a CPM rally last week, chief minister Manik Sarkar alleged that NLFT militants were holding meetings in the hilly interiors and directing the tribals to vote for the INPT.
In the run-up to the controversial district council election in 2000, the militants belonging to the NLFT openly canvassed for the INPT, intimidating the tribal voters and killing and abducting several CPM candidates and their relatives, sources said.