CPI-M women members at record number in Tripura

The strength of women members of the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) in Tripura rose to a record 28 per cent against 12 per cent at the national level, a party leader said here.

"Over 27.77 per cent of the 94,259 CPI-M members in Tripura are women. Always the percentage of women members of the party was higher in Tripura compared to the national ratio," Tripura CPI-M State Secretary Bijan Dhar told the media on Monday evening.

"After the annual renewal of party membership in January-March, with the increase of 2.93 per cent compared to last year, party membership rose to 94,259 this year despite 612 party members getting killed," he said.

Besides, another 154 members were expelled from the party on numerous grounds and 4,551 members did not renew their membership due to various reasons, the CPI-M leader said.

Dhar, also a member of the CPI-M central committee, said 3,986 persons belonging to other political parties joined the Left party during the past two months.

"The CPI-M has organised public rallies in 107 places in the past one month across the state and it would hold 1,000 more "Jatha" (public rally) in the next one month to highlight the mis-governance and anti-people policies of the BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party) -led central government."

At the national level, around 12 per cent of the total 1,065,406 CPI-M members are women.

The CPI-M held its two-day Tripura state committee meeting here on May 20-21 in the presence of party General Secretary Sitaram Yechury and politburo member and former General Secretary Prakash Karat.

The meeting discussed the next assembly polls in Tripura.

Tripura, one of the two states (including Kerala) where the CPI-M-led Left Front is in power along with other Left parties, goes to polls in February next year.

Yechury, before leaving for New Delhi, said the Tripura assembly elections would be very significant from the national perspective and this would be the Bharatiya Janata Party's retreat from power in India.

--IANS

sc/py/dg