Present politics not on Gandhian line: Ex-Tripura CM

The present political scenario is totally out of Gandhian way, opined former Tripura Chief Minister Manik Sarkar while unveiling the biography of eminent Gandhian leader Rajkishore Nayak ‘Sayanhara Smruti’ here on Sunday.

Mentioning that 70 per cent of rural people in the country are deprived of basic necessities like food, shelter and education, he said the motto with which the freedom fighters had fought for the country has not been fulfilled even after 71 years of Independence.

He lamented that about 50 per cent children under the age of five years and tribal communities are still facing diseases like anaemia and malnutrition.

Sarkar said the country is rich in resources under the land and above the land as soil and human resource, but has failed to utilise it properly. The country is known as a country youths, but most of the youths are unemployed, he rued.

Talking about Tripura, he said that Tripura is the first State to provide rights of forestlands to the traditional tribal people and second State in the country having highest literacy rate.

Sarkar said the country is not progressing as there is no mutual understanding between the Centre and State Governments.

He alleged that the Central Government is not providing legitimate rights to the State Governments even as it gets more than 50 per cent of the States’ revenues. Corruption, communalism and diversion are hampering the unity of the country, he added.

He opined that political values can be achieved in a democratic society only when human resources are utilised properly.

Former MP and freedom fighter Bhabani Charan Patnaik, writer Gourahari Das, Padma Vibhushan Sitakanta Mohapatra, author Nirmalprava Nayak, Raj Kishore Nayak’s son and MLA Atanu Sabyasachi Nayak also spoke on the occasion.