Sushanta Talukdar
— Photo: Ritu Raj Konwar

Polling officials carry Electronic Voting Machines and other election materials for the remote Boithalangso constituency on the eve of the polling in Karbi Anglong district of Assam on Sunday. Barpeta Road (Assam): Tripura Chief Minister Manik Sarkar on Sunday urged the people of Assam to ensure the victory of Communist Party of India (Marxist) candidates in the coming polls for strengthening the voice in the Assembly against the “anti-people” policies of both the Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party.
Mr. Sarkar was addressing an election rally in support of CPI(M) candidate for the Sarbhog Assembly constituency Manoranjan Talukdar here.

The Chief Minister said the basic difference between the governance in the Left-ruled Tripura and the Congress-ruled Assam was that in Assam, people do not get essential commodities under the Public Distribution System (PDS), while in Tripura, the government not only provided PDS items regularly through ration shops, but also mounted pressure on the Centre to increase the quantity of PDS goods to the State.
Mr. Sarkar accused Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Congress president Sonia Gandhi of shedding crocodile tears for people of Assam but doing nothing to provide relief to them from the sky-rocketing prices. He pointed out that even after 64 years of Independence, during most period of which Congress ruled the State, people of the country did not enjoy food security.
The Chief Minister has been addressing election rallies in lower Assam for the past three days, urging people launch a crusade against the “anti-people” policies of the ruling Congress. People should take note of the fact that except the CPI(M) and other Left parties no party cared to wage struggles for the poor, middle class, toiling people both inside and outside Parliament and Assemblies.
The rally was also addressed by sitting CPI(M) legislator from the Sarbhog constituency and party's Assam State secretary Uddhab Barman, senior State CPI(M) leader Hemen Das, besides the party candidate. Both Mr. Das and Mr. Barman cautioned people against the “communal politics” of the BJP. There was no difference between the Congress and the BJP on economic policies and both the parties pursued anti-people policies to protect the interests of big capitalists and imperialist forces, they said.