Condition of Left parties like third child of a goat: Tripura CM

The pre-poll alliance between the Left parties and the Congress in West Bengal to uproot the Mamata regime has created ripples among the ranks of the Left front in Tripura.

While many top leaders of the Congress in Tripura, the only communist ruled-state in the country, opposed the alliance in West Bengal, Tripura Chief Minister Manik Sarkar claimed that the condition of the Left parties was ‘like the third child of a goat’.

Sarkar, who is also a senior member of the politburo, vent out his dissatisfaction on the Left front’s decision to form an alliance with the Congress, at a party meeting in the state capital Agartala earlier this week.

“On one side there is Congress and on the other BJP. When we speak against the Congress, we find that people voted for the BJP and when we are against the BJP, people vote for Congress. Our position has turned like the third kid of a goat where the two others (Congress and BJP) are suckling milk from the mother and we, the third kid, gets nothing but keeps jumping for nothing. We cannot allow this to continue,” said Sarkar while addressing a party meeting in presence of all CPM senior leaders including two MPs.

Uncomfortable situation

Sarkar’s remark yet again proves that the communists are in an uncomfortable situation in Tripura for the alliance in west Bengal since the Congress is the main opposition in Tripura, where the Left is in power since 1993.

Ever since the Left-Congress alliance in West Bengal was declared, Tripura Congress witnessed a major revolt with several top leaders including opposition leader Sudip Roy Barman and several other MLAs resigning over the issue.

While Congress MLA Gopal Chandra Roy has been named the new leader of the opposition, a major revolt is simmering within the Congress in Tripura, many party leaders are in talks with the BJP as well, a party source said.