CPI(M)-Congress kick-off assembly poll campaign

Agartala, Aug 6 (UNI) Campaign for the Tripura Assembly polls due in February 2008, has already begun with both the ruling CPI(M) and opposition Congress stepping up on the heat.

While CPI(M) was gearing up for the polls with its trade union wing CITU calling a nationwide strike on August 8, the Congress was planning a State-level meeting here tomorrow.

The CPI(M) also held a meeting yesterday attended by party General Secretary Prakash Karat, where apart from talking about their success, the Khammam firing issue in Andhra Pradesh was also taken up.

CPI(M) leaders claimed that the Left Front would storm back to power for the sixth time as they were working for the poor.

Meanwhile, the Congress also claimed that they would sweep away the next elections as the people of the State were fed up with the Manik Sarkar led CPI(M) government.

Congress leaders alleged that atrocities on women, corruption and other crimes had increased during the present regime. The Congress had also decided to conduct a State-level meeting on August 9, which one of the party members said, would call upon the people ''to throw the CPI(M) out of the State''.

Tripura Congress Chief and former Chief Minister Sarmir Ranjan Barman claimed that there would be an ''unexpected gathering'' on that day. The leaders, however, did not confirm whether any national-level Congress leader would be coming to speak at the meeting.

UNI