A record 5,546 ousted from CPI-M in Tripura in a year

Agartala, June 13: A record 5,546 persons were expelled and dropped from the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) in Tripura in the past one year, party official Bijan Dhar said here.

"In the past one year, 535 members were expelled from the party and 5,011 whole-time members were either dropped from the party or denied renewal of membership for numerous reasons," Dhar, who is CPI-M Tripura state committee secretary, told reporters on Sunday evening.

He said despite the ouster of 5,546 people, the membership rose to 91,578 this year, a growth of 2.24 per cent from last year.

Following a decision taken in December at the party plenum, the CPI-M introduced stricter norms for continuance and renewal of membership, said Dhar, a CPI-M central committee member.

Women constitute 26.92 per cent of the CPI-M's members in Tripura, much more than about 10 per cent nationally.

"After the annual renewal of party membership during January to March, around 26.92 per cent of the 91,578 members in Tripura are women," he said, noting that the state party has always had a better women representation than other states.

At the national level, around 10 per cent of the total of 10.58 lakh members (as per 2015 CPI-M congress data) is women.

The women membership of Tripura CPI-M rose to 26.92 per cent this year from 26.49 per cent last year and from 25.76 percent from 2014.

Of the total of 91,578 members, 35.55 per cent are tribals, 19.58 per cent are Scheduled Caste and 22.89 per cent are Other Backward Classes (OBC).

The CPI-M dominated Left Front is in power in Tripura for the past 38 years except for five years from 1988 to 1993.

During 1988 to 1993, a coalition of the Congress party and tribal party Tripura Upajati Juba Samity, led by two successive Chief Ministers Sudhir Ranjan Majumder and Samir Ranjan Barman, ruled the state.

Dhar said: "Quality of party members is a big issue for us. Our rectification move is on and this is an endless task. To maintain quality of membership is also a non-stop endeavour."

Dhar said his party was concerned over the growth of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), Indigenious People's Front of Tripura, Indigenous Nationalist Party of Tripura and Amara Bangalee in Tripura.

"These are divisive forces and their political work creates division among various communities and ethnic groups, disturbing peace, tranquility and integration among the people," he said.

IANS