Congress threatens to move ECI against CPI(M) in Tripura

Agartala, Feb 9 (UNI) The Opposition Congress in Tripura today threatened to lodge complaint with the Election Commission of India (ECI) against the CPI(M) leaders, including its general secretary Prakash Karat, for their recent statement on former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi.

Addressing media here, AICC general secretary Sanjoy Bapna alleged that the CPI(M) leaders had been trying to win the election by passing ''baseless and derogatory'' comments against the Congress, but he riterated that it would not impact the election.

Mr Bapna alleged that the CPI(M) general secretary used ''objectionable'' words against Rajiv Gandhi saying that the latter had ''patronised'' militancy in Tripura.

Subsequently, CPI(M) state committee member Goutam Das denied all the allegations, but now the CPI(M) was attributing this view to Chief Minister Manik Sarkar.

Mr Bapna criticised the Left leaders and stated that many Congress leaders, including former Prime Ministers Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi, had launched crusade against insurgency, and Mizoram and Punjab were witness to it.

Both of them and many more party leaders had lost their lives for peace and the CPI(M) could take the lesson of struggle for humanity and dedication for the nation from the Congress, he maintained.

Senior AICC leaders were examining the ''controversial'' statements of Mr Karat and Mr Sarkar and finally it would be produced to the ECI.

Earlier, the CPI(M) had come down heavily on AICC general secretary and Union Minister Prithviraj Chavan and questioned how a Union Minister could pass a comment on an important issue on the basis of newspaper reports.

The party had alleged that former Prime Minister had used the army to oust the Left Front government in 1988, and a section of Congress and INPT leaders had meetings with rebel leaders in Shillong, Aizwal and Guwahati to chalk out a strategy for the coming elections.

UNI XC-BB SJC AM KP1200