Agartala, February 13: Senior CPI(M) leader Prakash Karat said the reintroduction of the old pension scheme will be the first decision the Left-Congress alliance will take if it is voted to power in Tripura.

Addressing an election rally at Khayerpur in West Tripura district on Sunday, he said the new pension scheme was not implemented in Tripura as long as the Left Front government was in power in the state. Tripura Assembly Elections 2023: PM Narendra Modi Holds Roadshow in Poll-Bound State (Watch Video).

"It was the BJP that introduced the new pension scheme in the state after coming to power in 2018," he said. The first decision the Left-Congress will take after coming to power is bringing back the old pension scheme, the CPI(M) politburo member said.

"In Himachal Pradesh, the Congress won the elections and reintroduced the old pension scheme for the employees as it had promised. In Tripura, the same thing will be done if the Left-Congress forms the next government," he said.

The Left Front and the Congress have promised to reintroduce the old pension scheme in an attempt to woo the 1.88 lakh state government employees in Tripura.

Alleging that the BJP has failed to deliver in Northeastern state, Karat said, "The law and order situation has worsened in the state with 707 rape cases recorded between January 2020 and December 2022. The state has earned a bad name in crime against women." Tripura Assembly Elections 2023: Voting for Congress, CPI-M Will Facilitate Return of Violence and Corruption in State, Says PM Narendra Modi.

The CPI(M) leader alleged that the BJP was spending a huge amount of money to win the elections. "People must remain vigilant about the way BJP is spending money. We must foil the ploy to restore democracy in the state," he said.

Asserting that a victory for the opposition alliance in a small state like Tripura has national ramifications, Karat said, "It will surely boost the countrywide movement to protect the democracy and secularism, which are now under threat."

Congress general secretary Mukul Wasnik, and CPM leader Pabitra Kar who is contesting from the Khayerpur assembly also addressed the rally. The polling will be held on February 16, and the votes will be counted on March 2.