CPI to support Congress in Kolebira bypoll

RANCHI: The Jharkhand state council of the Communist Party of India (CPI) on Thursday decided to support Congress candidate Biksgal Kongari in the Kolebira assembly bypoll.

The CPI was of the view that former legislator Enos Ekka had connived with leftwing extremists to kill a para teacher in 2016; therefore, the party could not support the candidature of his wife, Jharkhand Party nominee Menon Ekka, in the by-election, to be held on December 20, said a statement from the party.

The state council also urged the Raghubar Das government to solve the issues related to the para teachers, who are on strike. The para-teachers are demanding better pay and permanent jobs. CPI leaders KD Singh, Bhubaneswar Prasad Mehta, PK Ganguly and others attended the meeting.

LEFT PARTIES DEMONSTRATE

The Left parties — CPI, CPM, CPI (ML), and Marxist Co-ordination Committee (MCC) — on Thursday staged a demonstration outside Raj Bhawan. CPM state secretary GK Bakshi, CPI (ML) secretary Janardan Prasad, and MCC leader Mithilesh Kumar led the demonstration.

The Left leaders observed that the Union government, under RSS pressure, intended to build the Ram Temple in Ayodhya (Uttar Pradesh), sidelining the Supreme Court’s directives. They demanded that the SC rulings on the Ram Temple-Babri Masjid issue be followed strictly.