Left will not be ruling any state in 2013, claims Congress

AGARTALA - There will be no Left government in any Indian state by 2013 and the existing Left Front governments in West Bengal and Kerala would be voted out next year, a senior Congress leader said here Thursday.

All India Congress Committee (AICC) general secretary V. Narayanaswamy said the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M)-led Left Front government in Tripura would be ousted by the people in the 2013 assembly polls.

“The recent civic poll results make it evident that the CPI-M-led Left Democratic Front government in Kerala has lost the people’s confidence,” the Congress leader said.

Talking about Tripura, he said: “Crime against women, corruption and cases of murder are the highest in Left-ruled Tripura as compared to the rest of the country.”

“The state government is very inefficient, crores of rupees of central funds have remained unspent,” he said.

Narayanaswamy, also the union minister of state for culture, planning and parliamentary affairs, said: “To monitor the implementation of central schemes and use of related funds, separate central teams from the Planning Commission and the rural development ministry would visit Tripura soon.”

The union minister said that due to the incompetence of the Left Front government in Tripura and non-utilisation of central funds, the number of people below poverty line (BPL) has been increasing in the state.

“The unauthorised assets of the Left parties in Tripura have risen to Rs.5,000 crore,” said the Congress leader, accompanied by state party chief Surajit Datta and Leader of Opposition Ratan Lal Nath.

The AICC general secretary warned: “If any Congress leader is found having any clandestine links with the ruling CPI-M in the state, he or she would be removed from the party.”