Agartala: The CPIM state secretary Goutam Das on Sunday refuted education minister Ratan Lal Nath’s allegations, adding that his party members had no connection with the ongoing protest of the terminated teachers.
Speaking in a press conference, Das said that the education minister had alleged involvement of around 350 members of the CPIM party during the protest march on January 27.
Nath on Saturday had said the opposition parties were fueling the teacher protests.
Also Read: Tripura: Clash between police and terminated teachers leaves 87 injured
“Our party workers have stayed in the party office. How can they raise such allegations against the CPIM party, when all the people injured during the violence are teachers? However, some media reports say it was the BJP and RSS workers among the police and TSR who carried out the attack on the teachers,” Das said.
“When the protest is democratic and legitimate, the CPIM party and the Left Front will always extend its support to their movement,” Das added.
Also Read: Tripura: BJP leader shot dead in Dhalai district
“The teachers had to be admitted to the hospital. However, the education minister remained silent for the last four days and now has started making false and baseless statements against the teachers and opposition parties,” Das said.
He also alleged that the teachers had pre-announced a program for meeting the chief minister in deputation after 52 days of peaceful protest braving the weather and other challenges.
Das further pointed out that the education minister has the least idea about the recruitment policy, as since 1978 after the CPIM government came in power, the same policy was being followed until 2010 when central policy was implemented.
Also Read: Tripura: Terminated teachers serve 4-day ultimatum, threaten mass protests
“The recruitment advertisement was in 2002 for GT, PGT and UGT posts and due to several reasons, the recruitment continued till 2010. We are still backing the policy because economic disparity has increased in the state, especially during the lockdown period,” Das added.
However, he maintained that the people would answer to the state’s betrayal over the last 34 months.
Also Read: Tripura: Police arrest hundreds of terminated teachers amid protests
A total of 87 people were injured while trying to stop the movement of terminated teachers. Among them, 70 are teachers and 17 police personnel. Out of those 17 police personnel, six are female police personnel, West district magistrate and collector Dr Shailesh Kumar Yadav.
The West district police have also registered two cases against the terminated teachers for resorting to violence in the name of a day-long movement.
The district magistrate further said that the teachers vandalised four vehicles, including that of the additional superintendent, during the clash with police. They also vandalised a bus. As a result, the police had to take strict action.
