• Abhijit Nath, NET Correspondent, Tripura 

Agartala, August 08, 2022 : Squarely lambasting the role of ruling Bharatiya Janata Party, Tripura’s former Chief Minister and CPI-M Politburo member Manik Sarkar on Monday claimed that this RSS organization or the political party had no role during the freedom of movement of India before 1947.

Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of a blood donation camp organized by the students’ wing of CPIM, Student’s Federation of India at Chhatra-Yuva Bhavan here in Agartala city on Monday, Sarkar, who is also the leader of opposition in Tripura said that the ruling saffron party is making all possible attempts to re-write the history of India’s independence in a new way.

“The 8th of August is a significant day, as the All India Congress Committee (AICC) convened a meeting at Bombay (present day Mumbai) where Gandhi first delivered a lecture saying the Britishers have no right to stay in India and they have to leave the country. At that very meeting, the slogan ‘Do or Die’ was raised. From that day, publicly such slogans against Britishers were raised. However, earlier in 1921, a conference of Congress party was scheduled at Goa, but the Communists captured the stage by distributing leaflets and the slogan of full freedom was raised. Most of the delegates present in that meeting supported this voice. Later, in 1929, another conference was held at Allahabad (present day Prayagraj) and took decision with the ‘Purno Swaraj’ slogan,” he added.

Claiming BJP is now trying to change history, Sarkar said “At present, those who are ruling the entire country had no role during the freedom fight of India’s independence. Rather the people of India were betrayed and extended help to the Britishers. I observed that this ruling party launched an event named ‘Har Ghar Tiranga’, but they did not accept the national flag of India, rather their leaders claimed that this tricolour cannot be the flag of India. Their leaders also claimed that the colour of India’s national flag would be saffron.”

A CPIM Politburo member also said “This national flag was hoisted in 2000 when BJP was moving forward to Centre for forming the government. Currently, instead of saying ‘national flag’, they say it as ‘Har Ghar Tiranga’. There is a hidden secret behind this. They have understood that the soil of faith and trust from the common masses upon them has eroded and that is why, attempts are being made to re-write history in a new form.”