Agartala:
For years, insurgent groups like the National Liberation Front of Tripura (NLFT) and the All Tripura Tigers Front (ATTF) had been demanding independence for Tripura and trying to force the issue with guns.
Now, for the first time in 30 years, Tripura is going to the polls without the shadow of insurgency looming over it.
The Left govt is credited with almost wiping them out. But attempts to get political mileage out of the issue continue. The CPM claims that the party Congress has tied up with - Indigenous Nationalist Party of Tripura (INPT) - is a mask for separatist forces still active in the state. But Congress claims the Left is still aiding and abetting extremists for political ends.
Killa is a tiny village in the interiors of Tripura. Till five years ago, it was a hotbed of insurgent activity. But today the armed rebels are gone and villagers are looking forward to voting without the shadow of the gun for the first time in 30 years.
Pritam, an unemployed young man who lives in the village, says, "The insurgents would tell us where to vote for an independent Tripura. Last election, their influence was less. Now there is nothing."
School teacher Anand Jamatia seconds that. He says, "Earlier we used to vote according to what the insurgents. Now we are free."
But, though Chief Minister Manik Sarkar is credited with cracking down on insurgents, he sounds a warning note. There are still some 20 rebel camps in Bangladesh, he says, adding that there is no room for complacency. He slammed the Congress for joining hands with the INPT headed by insurgent leader Bijoy Hrangkhal.
"INPT is the political mask of the extremist outfits," he says. "Congress, by aligning with INPT, is shaking hands with extremists."
The Congress, which has a seat sharing alliance with the INPT, has accused the CPM of links with the rebels. "We never heard the word
'ugrapanthi' or extremists. These words were unknown to the people of Tripura. We only came to know these words after the CPM came to power. They are the founders and sponsors and they are still aiding and abetting these extremists for their political purpose," says Sudip Roy Burman, the Pradesh Congress Committee chief.
Congress is contesting in 38 seats while INPT has given candidates in 11 seats.